In the early summer of 2024, England found itself once again facing an old and stubborn illness, the bacterial infection pertussis, which breaks the breath of its victims into long, exhausting coughs. Ten infants have now died after being diagnosed with it, and the sorrow of those losses sits against a backdrop of thousands of cases across the country. The health authorities read the surge as a return of a cycle that the pandemic had only paused, while a gap in vaccination leaves the youngest, the least able to protect themselves, most exposed.
'100-day' cough: Symptoms to know as whooping cough cases rise and another baby dies
Ten babies have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough in England, and 328 babies under three months were diagnosed in January to June.
Ten babies have now died after being diagnosed with whooping cough
Mark
Ten babies have died. Is that the headline number?
Mimi
It's the most painful one. Alongside it, 328 babies under three months were diagnosed between January and June, and they're the group most at risk.
Mark
Yet most cases are in older people?
Mimi
Yes, 55% are aged 15 and over. They're the bulk of cases, but babies bear the serious outcomes.
Luke
Worth saying what the reporting doesn't tell us: how the ten deaths are spread over time, or how many of those babies were born to vaccinated mothers.
Mark
Why are cases so high now?
Mimi
UKHSA calls it a cyclical disease, peaking every three to five years, with this peak overdue after the pandemic suppressed spread. Immunity is also lower.
Luke
That's the agency's explanation, and it says the pandemic effect is "likely". It isn't a measured breakdown of causes.
Mark
And vaccination?
Mimi
Coverage in pregnant women was 58.9% in March. Vaccination at the right time gives 92% protection against infant death, according to health officials.
Luke
That 92% is the officials' figure, and the article doesn't show the study behind it. The direction is clear, but the precision rests on their evidence.
Der Puls
- Ten babies have died after whooping cough diagnoses, and the number of cases across England has climbed sharply to a May peak of 3,052.
- Infants under three months old are the most vulnerable, with 328 diagnosed in the first half of the year alone.
- Health officials are urging pregnant women to accept the vaccine between 16 and 32 weeks, which offers around 92% protection against infant death.
- Uptake among pregnant women fell to 58.9% in March, leaving a protective gap that the coming months will test.
In the early summer of 2024, England found itself once again facing an old and stubborn illness, the bacterial infection pertussis, which breaks the breath of its victims into long, exhausting coughs. Ten infants have now died after being diagnosed with it, and the sorrow of those losses sits against a backdrop of thousands of cases across the country. The health authorities read the surge as a return of a cycle that the pandemic had only paused, while a gap in vaccination leaves the youngest, the least able to protect themselves, most exposed.
Ten babies in England have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, and the latest death comes while case numbers remain stubbornly high. Pertussis, sometimes called the "100-day cough" because recovery can drag on for so long, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes that spreads easily. It often begins looking like an ordinary cold before turning into bouts of coughing that can be worse at night.
Between January and June this year, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed 10,493 cases in England, with May alone reaching 3,052. That is far above the 858 recorded across the whole of 2023. Most of those diagnosed were teenagers or adults, but the danger falls hardest on babies, and 328 infants under three months were diagnosed in the same period.
The UKHSA sees the rise as the disease returning to its usual cycle, with peaks every three to five years, a pattern interrupted by the pandemic's distancing measures and the immunity they left thinning. The best defence it points to is vaccination. Pregnant women who receive the jab between 16 and 32 weeks pass protection to their babies, and babies themselves are offered doses at eight, twelve and sixteen weeks, followed by a pre-school booster. Yet uptake among pregnant women was only 58.9% in March, and officials are now watching that number closely.
Ten babies in England have now died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, the latest death coming as case numbers stay high across the country. The illness, known medically as pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily, and it is sometimes called the "100-day cough" because recovery can take so long.
The figures from the UK Health Security Agency cover January to June this year. In that time 10,493 cases were confirmed in England. January saw 555. Numbers climbed to a peak of 3,052 in May, and June recorded 2,427. For comparison, there were 858 cases across the whole of 2023.
Most of those diagnosed were not infants: 55% of cases were in people aged 15 and over. But the infection is most serious in babies. Between January and June, 328 babies under three months old were diagnosed.
The early signs are easy to mistake for a cold, with a runny nose and sore throat. After about a week, the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last a few minutes and tend to be worse at night. Young babies may make a distinctive "whoop" or struggle to breathe after a bout, though not every baby makes that sound.
The UKHSA describes whooping cough as a cyclical disease, with peaks usually every three to five years. The last big rise was in 2016. Cases fell to very low levels during the coronavirus pandemic, likely because of reduced socialising and distancing measures, so the agency says the current peak is overdue. It also points to reduced immunity in the population as a consequence of the pandemic.
Vaccination has slipped too. The latest coverage figure for pregnant women, from March, was 58.9%. Health officials say vaccination at the right point in pregnancy gives 92% protection against infant death, passing protection to the baby until it is old enough to be vaccinated itself. Pregnant women are being urged to take up the offer.
The NHS recommends the vaccine between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. Babies are offered the six-in-one vaccine, which includes whooping cough protection, at eight weeks, with further doses at 12 and 16 weeks. A four-in-one pre-school booster, also covering pertussis, is offered at three years and four months. Parents are advised to take up each offer when called.
With uptake among pregnant women still under 60%, the coverage figures are the number to watch.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Whooping cough is a cyclical disease, and the current peak is overdue after the pandemic, with reduced immunity in the population.— UK Health Security Agency (paraphrased)
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