Pregnant women urged to get vaccines as three more babies die from whooping cough

Eight babies have now died from whooping cough since the start of the year, and pregnant women are being urged to make sure they are vaccinated, as ITV News Health Correspondent Rebecca Barry reports

Three infants died from whooping cough in the UK during April, new data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has shown.

The latest data brings the total to eight deaths from the illness in 2024 so far.

Pregnant women are being urged to take up the offer of the whooping cough vaccine so they can pass on protection to their babies, which should last until they are old enough to get vaccinated themselves.

The UK is experiencing a rapid rise in whooping cough, with almost 5,000 cases confirmed between January and April 2024.

The new figures released on Thursday show there were 1,888 confirmed cases of the illness in April 2024.

That's up from 1,319 cases in March, 918 in February and 556 in January.

All together since January there have been 4,793 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year.

This compares to just 858 cases of whooping cough for the whole of 2023.

The leap in cases between March and April 2024 was the largest rise yet, with 569 more cases detected.

The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, affects the lungs and breathing tubes. Also called the "100 day cough" because of the long recovery time, the illness spreads very easily.

Between January and the end of April, some 181 babies under the age of three months were diagnosed with whooping cough.

Around half of the latest cases have been recorded in people aged 15 years or older and 26% among children aged between 10 and 14 years.

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingham, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: "With whooping cough cases across the country continuing to rise and sadly the further infant deaths in April, we are again reminded how severe the illness can be for very young babies.

"The vaccine is crucial for pregnant women to protect their babies from what can be a devastating illness."

When babies are eight weeks old, they are able to have the six-in-one vaccine which includes immunisation against whooping cough.

UKHSA said the first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat, but the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are typically worse at night.

Young babies may also make a distinctive “whoop” or have difficulty breathing after a bout of coughing, though not all babies make this noise which means whooping cough can be hard to recognise.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…