UK's whooping cough death toll rises to 8 newborns as health chiefs urge people to get vaccinated 4,793 cases of disease in the UK since January, compared with 858 in 2023 Pregnant women urged to take up offer of the whooping cough jab By Shaun Wooller Health Editor Published: 11:53 EDT, 6 June 2024 | Updated: 11:57 EDT, 6 June 2024 e-mail 3 View comments Pregnant women are being urged to get the whooping cough vaccine after three more babies died from the disease in England, health officials have said. This means that a total of eight babies have died from the disease since the start of the year amid a rapid rise in cases. Since January there have been 4,793 confirmed cases of whooping cough, with one academic describing the size of the current outbreak as ‘alarming'.
This compares with 858 cases in the whole of 2023, according to UK Health Security Agency figures (UKHSA). In April this year, the latest figures available, there were 1,888 cases, the highest monthly total of the year so far. The current outbreak is the largest since 2012.
The NHS recommends all pregnant women are vaccinated against whooping cough between 16 and 32 weeks (stock image) Health officials warned that the infection is initially difficult to tell apart from a cold, as the first signs are a runny nose and sore throat. But around a week later, sufferers may develop coughing bouts that last minutes, struggle to breathe after coughing and make a 'whoop' sound between coughs. Other signs of whooping co.
