Urgent warning on whooping cough as case numbers reach decade-high: Health chiefs plead with parents to get children vaccinated against ‘100 day cough’

Health officials today implored parents to get their children vaccinated amid rising cases of whooping cough.

Experts attribute the resurgence of the ‘100-day cough’ to a decline in vaccine uptake among children and expectant mothers, as well as a resurgence after the Covid-19 epidemic, caused by less immunity due to pandemic social distancing.

Bosses at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) received 553 laboratory-confirmed reports of whooping cough cases in England alone in January.

It marks a 61-fold increase from the nine cases recorded in the same month in 2023 and comes after MailOnline revealed earlier this year that whooping cough cases were at a decade high.

For comparison, a total of 858 cases were registered last year.

Health officials warned that the infection may initially be difficult to distinguish from a cold, with the first signs typically being a runny nose and sore throat.

But about a week later, patients may experience coughing fits that last for minutes, have difficulty breathing after coughing, and make a “whoop” sound between coughs.

Other signs of whooping cough, as it is medically known, include bringing up thick mucus that can lead to vomiting and flushing of the face.

Surveillance figures from the UKHSA show that of the 553 cases confirmed in January, more than half (287) were in people aged 15 or over.

Just under a third (29.1 percent) involved children aged 10 to 14 (161).

About 22 babies under three months, who are too young to be fully vaccinated, have also been diagnosed.

The 6-in-1 vaccine, given to babies aged eight, 12 and 16 weeks, and the 4-in-1 pre-school booster, given to children aged three years and four months, are crucial for protection against whooping cough.

Pregnant women are also encouraged to get the vaccine to protect their babies from the infection in the first few weeks of life.

fatherRents have been urged to check whether their children have had both jabs.

Without the jabs, experts warn people risk becoming seriously ill from the infection and passing it on to others.

However, uptake of the 6-in-1 vaccine (92.6 per cent) and the 4-in-1 jab (83.3 per cent) both fell to all-time lows, according to data from NHS England.

Meanwhile, only 61.5 percent of expectant mothers received the whooping cough shot in 2022 – the smallest number in seven years.

Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA’s consultant epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, said: ‘Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but for very young babies it can be particularly serious.

‘However, vaccinating pregnant women is very effective in protecting babies from birth until they can receive their own vaccines.

‘Parents can also help protect their children by making sure they get their vaccines at the right time or catch up as soon as possible if they have missed one.

‘If you are unsure, check your child’s red book or contact your GP.’

Steve Russell, national director of vaccinations and screening at NHS England, added: ‘With whooping cough on the rise, it is important that families come forward to get the protection they need.

‘If you are pregnant and have not yet been vaccinated, or your child is not up to date on whooping cough or other routine vaccinations, contact your GP as soon as possible and if you or your child have any complaints, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111.’

Whooping cough is caused by the whooping cough bacteria and is spread by coughing and sneezing.

Health officials warned that the infection may initially be difficult to distinguish from a cold because the first signs are a runny nose and sore throat. But about a week later, patients may experience coughing fits that last minutes, have difficulty breathing after coughing, and make a “whoop” sound between coughs. Other signs of whooping cough include bringing up thick mucus that can lead to vomiting and flushing of the face

Doctors prescribe antibiotics as treatment if whooping cough is detected within three weeks.

However, if someone is infected for longer, antibiotics will not speed up recovery.

Before the pandemic, between 2,500 and 4,500 suspected cases were recorded annually. This fell to around 500 during the coronavirus crisis, as social distancing slowed the spread of most insects.

But in 2023, the number of cases reached 1,728 due to the post-pandemic recovery, a trend that experts say is due to lower societal immunity due to the Covid era. Similar trends were observed for insects such as influenza and RSV.

However, the numbers are still nowhere near the annual peak of 170,000 timber logged in the 1940s. Routine vaccination against whooping cough in the 1950s dramatically reduced levels.

Health officials also acknowledged that whooping cough cases increase cyclically every few years. In the last peak year – 2016 – there were 5,949 cases.