HPA urges routine vaccination after surge of whooping cough cases

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 15 2012

There is a rise in the number of whooping cough cases and parents have been warned to make sure their children's vaccinations are up to date.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there have been 665 confirmed cases already this year, compared with 1,040 in the whole of 2011. Cases have been reported across all regions in England with some areas reporting clusters in schools, universities and healthcare settings.

Dr Mary Ramsay, the HPA's head of immunization, said, “Whooping cough can be a very unpleasant infection. Anyone showing signs and symptoms - which include severe coughing fits accompanied by the characteristic 'whoop' sound in young children but as a prolonged cough in older children and adults - should visit their GP. Parents should ensure their children are up to date with their vaccinations so that they are protected at the earliest opportunity. The pre-school booster is also important, not only to boost protection in that child but also to reduce the risk of them passing the infection on to vulnerable babies, as those under four months cannot be fully protected by the vaccine.”

Whooping cough or Pertussis, may affect people of all ages but the recent increase has seen cases in very young children, who have the highest risk of severe complications and death. The infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics but young infants may need hospital care due to the risk of severe complications.

The HPA is also reminding parents to ensure their children are protected against measles after a slight increase in cases since the beginning of the year. So far, there have been 251 measles cases reported in 2012 compared with 200 cases in the same period last year. The majority of cases have been in people who had not been vaccinated. Dr Ramsay said, “Measles is a highly infectious disease which spreads very easily, particularly in schools and universities. It's never too late to get your child immunized with two doses of the MMR vaccine. We cannot stress enough that measles is serious and in some cases it can be fatal. Delaying immunization puts children at risk.”

Latest UK figures show 95.1% of infants under one year old had received their primary immunization with the five-in-one vaccination DTaP/IPV/Hib, which protects against whooping cough. Uptake was 96.6% in those aged under two and 88.2% by age five.

A Department of Health spokesman said, “We continue to see high uptake of the whooping cough vaccine, but the increase in cases - while not uncommon with such highly infectious diseases - highlights the importance of vaccination against this and other illnesses. Parents should make sure their children are up to date with all vaccinations, and should speak to their GP if they need advice. The Health Protection Agency will continue to monitor levels of this disease very closely and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization keeps all its advice on immunizations under review.”