Baby dies from whooping cough as England’s death toll reaches 10

A further baby has died from whooping cough, bringing the death toll to ten in just seven months .

Officials at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have urged pregnant women to get vaccinated after cases of whooping cough hit 10,493 in June.

Between December and June, ten babies under three months died after having contracted the virus , called pertussis.

Since 2013, there have been 30 infant deaths. Of those, 24 mothers had not been vaccinated in pregnancy , according to the UKHSA.

The latest data shows whooping cough peaked in May but has continued at high levels with 2,427 cases reported in June.

Women can usually get vaccinations for whooping cough midway through their pregnancy, at 20 weeks. It provides 92 per cent protection from infant death.

Babies should then be vaccinated with infant doses at eight, 12 and 16 weeks after birth.

However, vaccine uptake in pregnant women, babies and young children fell from 74.7 per cent in December 2017 to 58.9 per cent in March 2024.

According to the UKHSA, whooping cough goes through waves of community infection every three to five years. The last peak in the UK occurred in 2016, following an earlier one in 2012.

While most cases were in those aged 15 years or older, more than 300 have been reported in babies under three months old who are at the greatest risk from the infection.

Confirmed cases in the second quarter, from April to June, exceeded those in any quarter of the last major whooping cough outbreak in 2012.

Dr Mary Ramsay, director of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time.

“Pregnant women are offered a whooping cough vaccine in every pregnancy, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks. This passes protection to their baby in the womb so that they are protected from birth in the first months of their life when they are most vulnerable and before they can receive their own vaccines.

“With cases continuing to rise and, sadly, 10 infant deaths since the outbreak began last November, ensuring women are vaccinated in pregnancy has never been more important.”

When children are three years and four months they will be offered the four-in-one pre-school booster, which protects against pertussis.