Whooping cough cases rise 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.Young babies with whooping cough are often very unwell and many are likely to need hospital treatment as it can lead to pneumonia and permanent brain damage.

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 (one in December 2023 and 9 between January to end June 2024).

If you are pregnant, you can help protect your baby by getting vaccinated – ideally from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks pregnant. The immunity you get from the vaccine passes to your baby through the placenta and protects them until they are old enough to be vaccinated at 8 weeks old.

Vaccination in pregnant women is 97% effective at preventing death in young infants from whooping cough.

The whooping cough vaccine has been administered during pregnancy for over 10 years, and getting vaccinated whilst pregnant is highly effective in protecting your baby from developing whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life.

If for any reason you miss having the vaccine, you can still have it up until the end of pregnancy.

You can access a whooping cough vaccine from your GP and through some antenatal clinics. You may be offered the vaccination at a routine antenatal appointment from around 16 weeks of your pregnancy.

If you are more than 16 weeks pregnant and have not been offered the vaccine, talk to your midwife or GP and make an appointment to get vaccinated.

For further advice on getting your whooping cough vaccinations in your area, speak with your local maternity service.

For information about vaccinations during pregnancy, please see Pregnancy vaccinations on the EPUT website.

For frequently asked questions about whooping cough and the whooping cough vaccine, please see Whooping Cough: Frequently Asked Questions