Recently I have had friends and relatives in California, Florida, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and Virginia mention without any prompting from me that they had been suffering from occasional bouts of vertigo. I noted this especially because I, too, have been suffering such bouts. Are these reports just a coincidence? Has vertigo become an “in” thing to suffer from? Are people just reporting something that has always been around? Or is the actual number of people suffering from vertigo increasing? And, if so, why?
Perhaps you, and all your friends, relatives and acquaintances are getting older.
Hardly an “in” thing. Vertigo is a bitch. As you well know. I agree that it seems to be more prevelent lately.
Could it be because so many people are on prescription drugs these days for pretty much everything and the main side effect for most drugs is dizziness?
Other contributing factors could be increased awareness of the existence of a name for the condition, better overall health-care leading to diagnosis and treatment and perhaps a more open culture in which people more willingly share details about ongoing medical issues.
I don’t see any news reports of increased cases of vertigo. I suspect you happen to have hit a coincidental cluster or are just noticing it more. That’s why anecdotes aren’t data. 
I have had vertigo as far back as I can remember, but always confused it with acrophobia. My father had actual acrophobia, and it has only been recently that I realize that what I have is different. And especially since the older I get, the more medications I have to take, and the vertigo I’ve always had is getting exacerbated. I have to mentally “fasten my seatbelt” when lying down or getting up.
I don’t think this is very uncommon, especially in an aging population.
I remember the week that everyone in the U.S. first got acid reflux.