Whooping cough vaccine may be introduced in New Zealand

The New Zealand's Ministry of Health has confirmed, as a whooping cough epidemic continues to sweep the country, that a new vaccine to control the spread of whooping cough may be introduced next year.

Officials say they are considering introducing the vaccine for 11-year-olds, and is discussing the matter with its internal funding body.

The triple vaccine - which is designed to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough - would replace the booster shot against tetanus and diphtheria already available. The ministry recommends children get shots against whooping cough at 6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 15 months and at the age of 4.

Nikki Turner from the Immunisation Advisory Centre says it is hoped that boosting immunity against whooping cough in 11-year-olds would reduce the spread of the disease and lower its impact in younger children.

The vaccine which was shown to have protective properties, has already been introduced in many Western countries.

Dr Turner said the whooping cough epidemic had eased in the Auckland region in recent months.

According to figures collected by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, there were 136 cases reported in April, more than double the number reported in the same month last year.

The number of whooping cough cases reported each month has continued to decline since a peak of 613 was recorded last November.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.