Whooping cough cases are continuing to rise in the United States, with new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that there are five times as many cases this year than at this point in time last year.

Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. There have been 18,506 cases of whooping cough reported so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC said there have been four-times as many cases of whooping cough as last year. This disease along with walking pneumonia are becoming more common, especially in children. These illnesses are highly contagious,