Whooping cough cases continue to surge

The number of whooping cough cases continues to increase at a worrying rate, with 1,322 cases reported during September 2012 alone.

So far, the number of cases reported in England and Wales this year comes to 6,121.

This is more than five times higher than the number of cases reported last year.

At the end of last month, the Department of Health announced that pregnant mothers would be offered the whooping cough vaccination between 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy.

This is help provide short-term immunity to newborn babies.

Another infant under three months of age died last month of whooping cough, bringing the total number of deaths in this age group to ten this year.

Head of immunisation at the HPA, Dr Mary Ramsay is warning parents to be vigilant to the symptoms of whooping cough and have children immunised.

She said: “We have been very concerned about the continuing increase in whooping cough cases and related deaths and welcome the urgent action recently taken by the Department of Health to introduce a vaccine for pregnant women.

“The introduction of a vaccine for pregnant women will not have an immediate impact on
serious infection in infants so vigilance remains important. Working with the Department of
Health we will continue to regularly monitor figures to evaluate the success of the programme.”