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Whooping cough cases in England increased by more than 1,600% in 2024, compared with the previous year, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
According to the data, published on 13 February 2025, there were 14,905 cases reported in 2024, compared with 856 cases in 2023, representing a 1,641% increase in cases.
Whooping cough is caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria and is characterised by violent coughing fits that sometimes end in a whoop-like gasp for breath.
The UKHSA said: “The recent increase in pertussis cases has been observed across all age groups and in every region in England.
“Case numbers rose across the first five months of 2024 to May [2024], as expected based on usual seasonal patterns, and then remained elevated, compared to recent pre-pandemic years between June and October.
“Total confirmed cases in November and December 2024 were similar to those observed in the same month in the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic and lower than those in the last outbreak year in 2012 (1,089 and 782 cases, respectively),” it added.
The total number of cases for 2024 exceeded the total in 2012, when 9,367 cases were reported.
Of the 14,905 cases reported in 2024, 10,463 cases were reported in the first six months of the year, with a peak of 3,038 cases reported in May 2024.
“Of the cases confirmed between January and December 2024, 58.7% (8,756 cases) were in those aged 15 years or older, with 18.2% in children aged between 10 and 14 years (2,707 cases) and 11.1% (1,659) in children aged five to nine years,” the UKHSA said.
The data also show an increase in the number of whooping cough cases reported in infants, which amounted to 433 cases in infants aged under three months in 2024, compared with 48 cases in 2023.
The UKHSA said: “Since the introduction of pertussis vaccination in pregnancy, from 2013 to the end of December 2024, there have been 31 deaths in babies with confirmed pertussis who were all too young to be fully protected by infant vaccination.
“Sadly, this includes ten deaths in infants who had contracted pertussis between January and December 2024. Of the 31 infants that died, 25 had mothers who were not vaccinated in pregnancy.”
Vaccination rates for whooping cough have been in decline since 2018/2019. The latest UK Health Security Agency data, updated on 20 December 2024, show that maternal vaccine uptake fell from 74.7% in December 2017 to 58.9% in March 2024, but rose to 65.9% in September 2024.
Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of the UKHSA, told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “While we saw a large increase in whooping cough cases in England [in 2024], numbers have declined in recent months.
“However, the severity of illness among some children and tragic deaths we saw reminds us how serious whooping cough can be, particularly for young babies, and reinforces why vaccination is vital.”
She added: “Pregnant women can protect their babies by getting vaccinated during every pregnancy, and it’s essential that infants receive their routine immunisations at the right time.
“We strongly encourage parents to check their children’s vaccinations red book and for expectant mothers to speak to their GP or midwife about ensuring they are up to date.”
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