The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated to protect their babies from birth onwards as new whooping cough data shows laboratory confirmed cases rising to over 10,000.
The latest data for England shows cases of whooping cough peaked in May but continue at high levels, with 2,427 cases reported in June.
This follows 555 cases in January 2024, increasing to an updated figure of 3,052 in May – bringing the total number of laboratory confirmed cases from January to June 2024 to 10,493.
Confirmed cases in the second quarter (April to June) of 2024 are very high, exceeding those in any quarter of the last major 2012 outbreak year.
Sadly, there has been one further infant death in June, bringing the total to 10 since the current outbreak began in November last year.
Young babies are at highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough.
Evidence from England shows that vaccination at the right time in pregnancy is highly effective, giving 92 per cent protection against infant death.
From January to June 2024, while most cases (55 per cent, 5,769) were in those aged 15 years or older who usually get a mild illness, high numbers (328) continue to be reported in babies under 3 months of age who are at greatest risk from the infection.
Whooping cough cases have been at high levels across all regions in England, as well as in many other countries, since late 2023 due to a combination of factors.
Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that peaks every three to five years.
The last cyclical increase occurred in 2016 following an earlier outbreak in 2012.
However, in common with other diseases, cases fell to very low numbers during the pandemic due to restrictions and public behaviours.
A peak year is overdue and the impact of the pandemic also means there is reduced immunity to whooping cough in the population.
The latest uptake data for the vaccination offered to pregnant women to protect newborn infants against whooping cough continues to decline – with coverage in March 2024 at 58.9 per cent compared to the peak coverage (72.6 per cent) in March 2017.
Timely vaccination in pregnancy and in childhood are both important to protect vulnerable young infants from serious disease.
Dr Mary Ramsay, Director of Immunisation at UK Health Security Agency, said: “Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time.
“Pregnant women are offered a whooping cough vaccine in every pregnancy, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks.
“This passes protection to their baby in the womb so that they are protected from birth in the first months of their life when they are most vulnerable and before they can receive their own vaccines.”
