Whooping cough kept at bay by high vaccination uptake

The UK has seen a sharp increase in the illness in recent years, from 450 cases in the first 11 months of 2022 in England and Wales to 1,141 suspected cases for the same period last year.

So far this year there have been fewer than five cases locally, but there were several suspected cases last year.

‘In 2023 we had 20 cases notified, 25% of these were under 18 years of age and 25% of these were over 65 years of age,’ the Public Health spokeswoman said.

‘It is important to note that cases should be notified on suspicion of a disease, not all suspected cases will have a laboratory confirmed diagnosis.’

UKHSA noted that measures implemented during the pandemic to reduce the spread of Covid-19 had a significant impact on the spread and detection of other infections, including whooping cough.

‘Therefore, in the years following the removal of these measures, levels are likely to increase.’

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract that spreads easily and can sometimes cause serious problems.

‘The first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and a sore throat,’ said the spokeswoman.

‘After about a week the individual develops a cough where a distinctive “whoop” sound is often heard between coughs when the individual gasps for breath. The cough may last for several weeks.

‘If whooping cough is diagnosed within three weeks of the infection, the individual will be given antibiotics to help stop it spreading to others. However, antibiotics may not reduce symptoms to the individual with the disease.’

Individuals with whooping cough are contagious from about six days before they develop the cold-like symptoms.

‘Therefore, it the most effective way to ensure an individual is protected against the disease is to ensure they are vaccinated,’ the spokeswoman said.

‘Individuals are contagious until around three weeks after they started to cough. If an individual has been prescribed antibiotics they will be contagious for a shorter period.

‘It is important that anyone who has whooping cough stays off school, work or nursery until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or for three weeks after their symptoms have started if they have not had antibiotics.’

Children receive four doses of a whooping cough-containing vaccine in the routine childhood vaccination programme.

‘As the pertussis vaccine is administered as part of a multi-component vaccine, that also provides protection against other vaccine preventable diseases, the standard for vaccination coverage is set for that vaccine as a whole and not just pertussis,’ the spokeswoman said.

‘The recommended target for children aged 60 months set by the Word Health Organisation is 90% and the UK Department of Health and Social Care rates 95% as an optimal performance standard.

‘Local vaccine uptake is high and exceeds the target of 95% at 60 months of age.’