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Staff Reporter, 9 May
The Public Health Agency (PHA) has urged parents to get their young
children vaccinated amid a significant rise in cases of whooping cough
in Northern Ireland.
The PHA said pregnant women should also take action after 769 cases of
whooping cough were confirmed in the region so far this year, compared
with just two between 2021 and 2023.
The PHA is urging families to book an appointment for the pertussis
vaccine to help protect their children.
Cases of infections of #whoopingcough are rising – but they are
preventable. Immunisation is the best defence.
There have been 769 confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis) so
far this year in Northern Ireland. Read more
https://t.co/G4IAvPOwJb#pertussis #pregnantwomen
pic.twitter.com/SVcSvxTZBg
— Public Health Agency (@publichealthni) May 9, 2024
Louise Flanagan, PHA consultant in public health, said whooping cough
spreads very easily and can make babies and young children in
particular very ill.
“It sadly can even be fatal in young babies or people with heath
conditions,” she said.
“However, the good news is that it can be prevented through
vaccination, so it’s really important that parents get their babies
vaccinated against it as part of the childhood vaccination programme,
and that pregnant women also get vaccinated, as this will help protect
their unborn baby from getting whooping cough in the weeks after birth.
“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.
“Whooping cough tends to circulate in greater numbers in Northern
Ireland every three to four years. Currently we are seeing an increase,
so it is a timely reminder of the importance of vaccination.”
Five babies have died in England after being diagnosed with whooping
cough, the UK Health Security Agency said.
The PHA said similar to the situation with the MMR vaccine, which helps
protect against measles, mumps and rubella, there has been a decrease
in the percentage of children and pregnant women receiving the whooping
cough vaccination.
They added: “All childhood vaccines provide the best protection for
children against severe infections.”
For further information on whooping cough and vaccinations
visit pha.site/whooping-cough and nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/whooping-c
ough.