Researchers have uncovered the first U.S. cases of a severe whooping cough, which is the result of a germ that may indeed be vaccine-resistant.

According to Post Bulletin, health officials are investigating whether or not cases such as the dozens discovered in Philadelphia may be the reason that the nation recently had its worst year for the respective sickness in six decades. The bug was also recently reported in France, Finland and Japan.

"It's quite intriguing. It's the first time we've seen this here," said Dr. Tom Clark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a brief report from the Center For Disease Control (CDC) along with other researchers in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, the U.S. cases are explained in detail.

Whooping cough is said to be a highly contagious disease that can strike individuals at any age, but is mostly dangerous to children. While it once was a very common sickness, cases of it in the U.S. have seen an overall decrease since a vaccine for it was introduced in the 1940s.

However, there's been an increase in the potent cough in recent years has been partly blamed on a different version of the vaccine being used since the 1990s, which doesn't last on the recipient for as long.

In 2012, the CDC received reports of 41,880 cases based on a preliminary count, which also included 18 deaths.

The latest information suggests that the new whopping cough strain may be the reason for why more individuals are coming down with sicknesses.

Although experts don't feel as though it's as deadly as it was in the early 20th century, the vaccines may not be working as well against the cough.

In a yet to be published study, researchers from France uncovered that the vaccine seemed to lower the risk of severe disease from the latest strain in babies. However, it didn't stop the illness completely, Nicole Guiso of the Pasteur Institute research team told the news publication.

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