Five-week-old baby dies of whooping cough amid 137% surge in cases of ‘100-day cough’

A FIVE-WEEK-OLD baby has died from whooping cough, public health officials have said. Five British babies have died from the disease so far this year, as cases continue to surge across the country. 4 A baby in Rugby has died from whooping cough amid a nationwide outbreak Credit: Getty 4 Whooping cough cases have risen steadily so far this year The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed there were 1,319 cases in March 2024.

This is a 44 per cent increase on the 918 cases in February and a 137 per cent rise on the 556 cases reported in January. It is a massive surge from 858 cases and one death during the whole of 2023. It comes after the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed this week there is an epidemic on the continent .

The death was noted at a meeting of Warwickshire's health and wellbeing board, where concerns were discussed over the increase in cases nationally. Figures from UKHSA show three cases in Rugby in the past week, seven in the past fortnight and 35 cases for the year up to May 4. The illness, real name pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs.

It spreads quickly between children and starts like a cold but may evolve into a bad, long-lasting cough - which is why it is sometimes nicknamed the '100-day-cough'. Most read in Health BEACH HORROR Four dead & 16 injured after 'building collapsed' at Majorca beach club PROBE LATEST Major update on Murrell & Sturgeon arrests amid probe into SNP finances FINAL RECKONING SunSport writer.