PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES are managing a spike in whooping cough in small babies, as the number of confirmed cases of the disease in all age groups surges to 79 so far this year – compared with just 2 in the same period of 2023.
Northern Ireland is also experiencing a huge increase in cases, with 769 confirmed so far this year across all age groups. In England, at least five babies have died from the disease this year, the first deaths since 2019, public health authorities have warned.
Dr Niall Conroy, a public health physician and adjunct professor of public health at University College Cork described the increase in cases here as “very worrying” – and warned that a fall in vaccine uptake since the pandemic was likely behind the trend.
The resurgence of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, comes amid an increase in cases of measles, another highly infectious and vaccine-preventable disease that’s of particular risk to small babies.
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a bacterial disease affecting the lungs and airways. The HSE warned that two in every 1,000 people infected with whooping cough will die, with almost all deaths in babies under six months. A fifth of those infected will be hospitalised.
Eleven pertussis cases have been reported in the Republic of Ireland in the past week, three of which were in children under the age of five, and another three between the ages of five and twelve.
There have been 79 pertussis notifications from the beginning of 2024 to the end of April, compared with two cases for the same time period in 2023, the HSE told The Journal.
Dr Conroy said this represented a “significant rise” in cases – adding that some cases may be undetected as the disease often causes mild symptoms in adults who may not seek medical attention.
“Public health teams around the country are seeing and managing a very definite spike in the number of outbreaks of pertussis involving small babies, and our colleagues in the acute hospitals and general practice are seeing more cases of children who are unwell with whooping cough,” Conroy said.
“This is the same in Northern Ireland and in the UK, and all over Europe.”
Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that peaks every three to five years, and is sometimes described as the “100 day cough”.
“We do see spikes of pertussis every few years, but this is much bigger than our usual surge,” Conroy said.
He explained that this may be partly due to reduced population immunity as there was less pertussis circulating during the pandemic’s lockdown conditions. Combined with falling vaccination rates, Ireland is now experiencing the “perfect environment for a disease like whooping cough to spread”, Conroy warned.
Conroy urged pregnant women to accept the offer of a pertussis vaccine to protect their babies before they are too young to receive the vaccine themselves. In Ireland, babies are immunised against pertussis with three vaccines at two, four and six months.
“If we make sure our children and pregnant women are appropriately vaccinated, then our risks are greatly reduced,” Conroy said.
He also encouraged fathers and grandparents, as well as anyone who is in close contact with a baby on a regular basis to book a vaccination to limit the risks of passing the disease along.
This is part of the general fallout from falling vaccination rates across the board. We’re seeing cases of measles and now we’re seeing pertussis. Eventually it will be a whole panel of vaccine preventable diseases, if we don’t improve our vaccination rates.
Despite the situation being of concern, Dr Conroy said, “We’re not helpless. We can all do our part by getting the recommended vaccines.”
In the UK, five infants died as a result of pertussis between January and the end of March, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The PHA has urged pregnant women and parents of young children to book an appointment for their vaccination against whooping cough.
Vaccination during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy has proven effective at preventing the disease amongst newborns who are too young to be vaccinated.
In Northern Ireland, there have been 769 confirmed cases of pertussis since the beginning of the year, according to the PHA.
Between 2021 and 2023, a total of two cases were confirmed in NI.
Consultant in Public Health at the Public Health Agency (PHA) Louise Flanagan said, “Whooping cough spreads very easily and can make babies and young children in particular very ill, and sadly can even be fatal in young babies or people with health conditions.
“Whooping cough is a disease that can cause long bouts of coughing and choking, which can make it hard to breathe. The evidence shows that babies born to vaccinated mothers are 90% less likely to get the disease than babies whose mothers were unvaccinated.”
Almost 60,000 cases of pertussis across the EU have been reported from 2023 to April 2024, marking a 10-fold increase compared to 2022 and 2021.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned that infants under the age of six months are the most vulnerable to this disease. The majority of pertussis hospitalisation and deaths occur within this age group.
EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides urged vaccination uptake to prevent against the disease.
“The rise in the number of cases of whooping cough across Europe shows the need to be vigilant. It is a serious disease, particularly in infants.
“We have safe and effective vaccines that can prevent it,” she said. “Vaccination is our key tool to help save lives and stopping the disease from spreading further.”
ECDC director Andrea Ammon also emphasised the importance of vaccination in dealing with whooping cough.
“We have a responsibility, as parents or as public health professionals, to protect the most vulnerable group from the deadly impact of the disease.”
While infants are the most vulnerable, older adults and individuals of any age can be affected by the disease.
Anyone presenting symptoms of whooping cough has been advised to call their GP practice before going in person, to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.
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