Whooping cough may seem like a disease from the Victorian era, but the bacteria has made a dramatic comeback in recent months.
The ‘100-day cough’, as it is also known, infects the lungs and breathing tubes, causing severe coughing fits and flu-like symptoms that, as the name suggests, can last for months.
In January and February alone, England recorded 1,468 cases, an increase of 8,055 percent on the 18 cases during the same period in 2023.
Suspected cases, reported weekly by doctors in England and Wales, suggest that infection rates are especially high in the South East (141) and London (113).
Babies under six months of age who contract the disease are at risk of serious complications such as pneumonia, seizures and, in some cases, death.
This happens because they are too young to be immunized with the existing vaccine.
Babies and young children who survive may suffer long-term neurological or lung damage.
Older children and adults can also get whooping cough – as neither vaccination nor infection provides lifelong immunity – and it is highly infectious.
Whooping cough, caused by the whooping cough bacteria, naturally peaks every three to five years.
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An injection, which began being given to children in the 1950s, helped nearly eliminate the disease in Britain.
From 2012, a whooping cough vaccine was offered to pregnant women in the UK, in the hope that the mother’s antibodies would pass to her baby in the womb, providing protection from birth.
“This has resulted in a decline in the incidence of whooping cough in babies under three months,” the report said. Notes from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Experts have warned that a steady drop in vaccine uptake and weakening immunity due to Covid restrictions have contributed to the rapid rise in case numbers.
“During lockdown (when social distancing measures were in place), the number of infections fell, so people who may have caught the disease are catching it now,” said Professor Helen Bedford, a public health expert. children’s program at University College London. Sun.
Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, agreed, adding that the restrictions meant fewer whooping cough infections and therefore fewer people with immunity.
“And that means that when an infection arrives, it has more opportunities to spread,” he told Guardian.
“Another problem is that vaccination is steadily decreasing in pregnant women,” Professor Helen added.
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In Britain, around 70% of pregnant women were vaccinated against pertussis in 2017.
That number has dropped to around 58 percent in 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Vaccine uptake among children also fell.
The pertussis vaccine is given along with five others to babies aged eight, 12 and 16 weeks and as part of a four-in-one booster to preschool children aged three years and four months.
The number of two-year-olds who completed six-in-one vaccinations in September 2023 was 92.9 percent, compared to 96.3 percent in March 2014.
Professor Helen also points to the switch in 2004 from a whole-cell to an acellular whooping cough vaccine.
In the past, whooping cough vaccines were made with Bordetella pertussis bacteria.
These vaccines were highly effective but had some adverse side effects, including fever and mild allergic reaction.
In a very small number of babies, there was neurological damage, however, there is debate over whether the injection was responsible.
Modern whooping cough vaccines are made from purified and detoxified parts of the bacteria.
“The newer vaccine is highly effective, but the duration of protection is shorter (than the older vaccine),” Professor Helen said.
Was my child poked?
Experts say it is vital for pregnant women to be vaccinated and to ensure their babies and young children receive the vaccine.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said added: “Vaccinating pregnant women is highly effective in protecting babies from birth until they can receive their own vaccinations.
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“Parents can also help protect their children by ensuring they receive their vaccinations at the right time or catching up as quickly as possible if they have missed one.
“If you’re not sure, check your child’s red book or contact your family doctor’s office.”
Steve Russell, NHS England’s national director of vaccination and screening, said people can contact their GP to book a vaccination appointment.
Those with symptoms should “ask an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111”, he added.
People with whooping cough are advised to stay home for 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or three weeks after symptoms start if they have not taken antibiotics.
Whooping cough symptoms
Whooping cough (whooping cough) is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes.
The first signs of whooping cough are similar to those of a cold, such as runny nose and sore throat (high temperature is uncommon).
After about a week, you or your child:
- you will have coughing spells that last a few minutes and get worse at night
- may make a “screaming” sound – a wheezing sound between coughs (small babies and some adults may not “scream”)
- may have difficulty breathing after a coughing fit and may turn blue or gray (small babies)
- can bring up thick mucus, which can make you vomit
- may be very red in the face (more common in adults)
The cough may last for several weeks or months.
Source: SNS
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