In a somewhat disquieting Thursday revelation which indicated that US apparently is heading towards its worst-ever year for whooping cough in over fifty years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that there has, thus far this year, been a two-fold increase in whooping cough cases reported in the country, as compared to the last year figures for the same point of time.

According to the statistics shared by the CDC, with approximately 18,000 cases of whopping cough have been reported so far this year, it is being projected that for the year as a whole as many as 40,000 cases will be reported --- with the alarming figures making 2012 the worst year for whooping cough since 1959.

The highly contagious whooping cough disease has already claimed the lives of nine children in the country, and the rate at which the illness is bring reported has prompted the health officials to urge adults – particularly pregnant women, and adults who spend time around children — to get a booster shot at the earliest possible.

The spike in the whopping cough cases this year has been quite startling, with the biggest outbreaks of the disease having been reported from Washington and Wisconsin, both of which have reported over 3,000 cases each.

The other states which have reported high number of whooping cough cases include Arizona, Minnesota, and New York.