Nine babies have died from whooping cough since November 2023, with cases continuing to rise, the UK Health Security Agency says. Its latest figures for England show 2,591 confirmed cases in May, with a total of 7,599 since January. Experts worry this is a bumper year for the bacterial infection, which can be particularly harmful for young babies.
They are urging pregnant women and children to ensure they are up-to-date with vaccines. Whooping cough - also known as the 100-day cough and by its medical name, pertussis - is a bacterial infection that can affect the lungs and cause prolonged bouts of coughing. More than half of the 7,599 cases from January to May have been in over-14s, who usually get a mild illness.
But 262 were in babies under three months, who are at the highest risk of complications and death. Whooping-cough cases have been rising in England and many other countries since the beginning of the year. It is cyclical, with peaks every three to five years.
The last was in 2016. But numbers fell during the pandemic, leaving "a peak year overdue", according to the UKHSA, and less immunity in the population. Vaccination rates among pregnant women are also a factor - with 58.
9% uptake of jabs in March 2024 compared with a high of 72.6% in March 2017. UKHSA immunisation director Dr Mary Ramsay said: "Ensuring women are vaccinated appropriately in pregnancy has never been more important.
"Pregnant women are offered a whooping-cough vaccine in every pregnancy, ideally b.
