The UK has seen an alarming surge in whooping cough cases, with almost 15,000 reported in 2024 – a staggering 17 times the levels recorded in 2023. The number of babies dying from the infection has also increased, making it the deadliest outbreak in a decade.
Health chiefs are urging pregnant women to get vaccinated amid concerns that growing jab scepticism is leading to a slump in vaccination rates. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warns that whooping cough is contagious as measles and can be initially difficult to tell apart from a cold, with symptoms developing rapidly.
Cases peaked in May and June 2024, accounting for more than a third of the annual total. While vaccines are available, protection does not last until children are old enough to receive their own vaccinations. UKHSA officials are desperately trying to ramp up vaccination rates and remind mothers-to-be of the importance of getting vaccinated.
Vaccination in pregnancy is key to protecting babies before they can be directly protected by the infant vaccine programme. As of 2024, 32 fatalities have been recorded since the introduction of the pregnancy jab roll-out in England in 2012 – all but six of whose mothers were unvaccinated.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14667277/whooping-cough-infection-cases-rise-17-fold-year-ukhsa-vaccinated.html