FIVE British babies have died from whooping cough as cases are already three times higher than last year’s total.
Parents are warned to vaccinate their children as a jab can prevent the “100-day cough” but uptake is not high enough.
Getty – ContributorWhooping cough can be prevented with a vaccine for pregnant women and babies but uptake has fallen[/caption]
The UK Health Security Agency said on Thursday that there were 2,793 confirmed cases in England between January and March this year, and five infants died.
This compares to 858 cases during the entire of 2023.
It comes after the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed this week there is an epidemic on the continent.
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.
The UKHSA said the bug peaks every three to five years and the last spike in the UK was in 2016.
Whooping cough cases have risen steadily so far this year
The first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, but the cough may last for several weeks or months
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist at the agency, said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby.
“Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but for very young babies it can be extremely serious.
“Vaccination remains the best defence and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time.”
NHS medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, added: “It is vital that families come forward to get the protection they need.”
STEADY UPTICK IN CASES
Whooping cough cases in England have steadily risen in the first few months of 2024.
According to the UKHSA, 556 cases were provisionally confirmed in January, followed by 918 in February and 1,319 in March.
Half of cases were in people aged 15 or older, who usually only get a mild illness.
But the rates of whooping cough remained highest in babies under three months, UKHSA noted.
Young infants are at highest risk of severe complications from whooping cough, like pneumonia and seizures, as well as death.
Whooping cough cases have been rising across England, as well as in many other countries, since December 2023.
This is likely due to a peak year in cases being “overdue”, according to UKHSA, as well as the impact of the pandemic, which meant there was reduced immunity to the illness.
Uptake of jabs that protect against whooping cough has also fallen in recent years across the country, both among pregnant women and babies.
Whooping cough symptoms
WHOOPING cough (pertussis) is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes.
The first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat (a high temperature is uncommon).
After about a week, you or your child:
will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
may make a “whoop” sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (young babies and some adults may not “whoop”)
may have difficulty breathing after a coughing bout and may turn blue or grey (young infants)
may bring up a thick mucus, which can make you vomit
may become very red in the face (more common in adults)
The cough may last for several weeks or months.
Source: NHS