Parents urged to protect babies against whooping cough

Fewer babies in Bolton were vaccinated against whooping cough last year than a decade ago, new figures show. UK Health and Security Authority figures show 91.1 per cent of babies in Bolton had received their six-in-one vaccine by their first birthday, which provides immunisation against a range of diseases including whooping cough.

This was down from 94.9 per cent the year before, and 95.7 per cent a decade earlier.

It means Bolton did not reach the 95 per cent vaccination target set by the UKHSA. The UKHSA confirmed five babies in England died after being diagnosed with whooping cough in the three months to March. Meanwhile, in the year to April 21, GPs nationally reported 9,575 suspected cases of whooping cough to the UKHSA.

This included 32 in Bolton. Not all these cases will be confirmed as whooping cough. The UKHSA, which does not release local data, said there were 2,793 confirmed cases in England in the three months to March.

That compares to just 858 cases for the whole of 2023, while in March alone, some 1,319 cases were reported, according to the provisional data. Lynn Donkin, Director of Public Health, Bolton Council, said: "We encourage parents to speak to their GPs about childhood immunisations as these provide safe and effective protection against diseases including whooping cough, which spreads very easily and can sometimes cause serious problems. “In addition to the national response to the outbreak, Bolton is working with its local health partners to ensure.