ALMOST 1,000 cases of whooping cough were recorded in the first four weeks of 2024, UK Health Security Agency data shows.
A total of 979 Brits knowingly fell ill with the bacterial infection, officially called pertussis – more than 20 times as many as this time last year.
But the true number is likely significantly higher, as the figure is based only on GP’s suspected diagnoses.
Anyone who didn’t see a doctor or take a test, and those who sought private healthcare, is not included.
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes that spreads rapidly.
Symptoms tend to be similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat, plus bouts of coughing that last for a few minutes and get worse at night.
Some people make a “whoop” sound as they gasp between coughs, while others bring up thick mucus and become very red in the face.
The condition may last for several weeks or months, so it is often dubbed the “100-day cough”.
Sometimes the coughing is so severe that sufferers can fracture ribs.
The were 319 suspected cases in the week to January 28 – a 20 per cent rise on the week before (266) and 150 per cent more than three weeks earlier (127), the UKHSA’s weekly Notification of Infectious Diseases report (NOIDs) report shows.
It brings the total for January 2024 to 979 – more than 24 times higher than the 40 detected in the first month of 2023, and more than the 856 recorded in the whole year in England.
Wales has seen the highest number, making up a fifth of all cases so far.
But the South East, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, and the North West are also higher than elsewhere.
Babies under six months are most at risk of problems such as breathing difficulties, seizures and pneumonia.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the US health agency – says about one third of tots under one who get whooping cough need hospital care.
Around one in 100 of those will die of the disease, it warns. But the statistics may not be the same for the UK.
The best way to protect against whooping cough is vaccination.
The pertussis jab is included in the ‘6-in-1 vaccine’ given to babies at eight, 12 and 16 weeks old, and the 4-in-1 pre-school booster for children aged three years four months.
It is also offered to expectant mothers who are 16 to 32 weeks pregnant.
But vaccination rates have fallen in the UK since the Covid pandemic.
Full list of symptoms of whooping cough
WHOOPING cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes.
The first signs of the condition tend to be similar to a cold – such as a runny nose, a sore throat, red and watery eyes, and a slightly raised temperature.
After about a week, other signs start to appear. These include:
Coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
“Whoop” sounds as your gasp for breath between coughs
Difficulty breathing after a coughing bout
Turning blue or grey (children)
Becoming very red in the face (adults)
Bringing up thick mucus, which can make you vomit
Bleeding under the skin or in the eyes
Feeling very tired after coughing
The cough may last several weeks or months.
Babies under six months have an increased risk of problems such as dehydration, breathing problems, pneumonia and seizures.
Older children and adults may experience sore ribs, hernia, middle ear infections, and urinary incontinence.
Source: NHS
The latest UKHSA data on the maternal whooping cough vaccine programme shows that uptake has dropped dramatically.
Figures for July to September 2023 show an average uptake across England of 57.4 per cent – down 2.6 per cent from the same quarter the previous year and a 13.6 per cent decline from the peak in 2016 to 2017.
Coverage is lowest in London, at just 36.5 per cent on average, with North Central London down to 22.3 per cent.
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Prof Beate Kampmann, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Sun: “The rise in cases might be because of missed vaccination appointments, possibly during the pandemic.
“Severe disease is almost entirely preventable if the mother is vaccinated in pregnancy and her protective antibody reach the baby through the placenta and protects until the baby gets its own vaccines.
“It is therefore important that everyone looks at their vaccination records to check if they might have missed this vaccine, which is given with the routine childhood immunisations and in pregnancy.”
If you or your child does fall ill – particularly if you have a cough for more than three weeks, or one that is getting worse – the NHS advises you to speak to your GP.
Those diagnosed in the first three weeks of the infection may be given antibiotics, but after this point, they are not considered helpful.
Instead, medical professionals urge you to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and take paracetamol or ibuprofen.
If you or your child experiences significant breathing problems, fits or signs of pneumonia, call 999 or visit your nearest A&E.
Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by an infection.
The most common symptoms are a cough, shortness of breath, a high temperature, chest pain and an aching body.