Whooping cough in Cornwall cases increases after starting slowly

Whooping cough infections continue to rise with more suspected cases in a fortnight than last year – and our map shows how the outbreak has affected Cornwall. The county had just three cases in 2024 through early February, followed by several weeks with none, and then a big spike of 24 in April. (see full table below of all cases in Cornwall this year).

In the week ending May 12, the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) received 921 notifications of possible whooping cough infections in England and Wales. These are alerts that GPs must send to the UKHSA every time they diagnose a case of what they believe to be ‘100-day cough’.
In the previous week, GPs sent 1,098 notifications to the UKHSA, totaling more than 2,000 cases in two weeks. There are more suspected cases of whooping cough than last year (1,728).

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So far this year, as of May 12, there have now been more than 11,000 suspected cases of whooping cough, about six times the total last year.
In Cornwall, GPs diagnosed three suspected cases of whooping cough in the past week and five in the previous week, a total of eight in two weeks. This brings the total number of suspected cases seen in Cornwall so far this year to 43.

In 2023, only seven suspected whooping cough infections were seen in Cornwall throughout the year.

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You can see the suspected cases in Cornwall compared to everywhere else with our interactive map.

(see full table below of all cases in Cornwall this year)

It comes after the UKHSA confirmed that five babies, who are most at risk of severe complications, have died after contracting whooping cough in the first three months of the year. By the end of March, 2,993 whooping cough infections had been confirmed by laboratory tests in England alone so far this year.

By the end of March 2023, there were only 30 laboratory-confirmed cases. It also shows that 58% of suspected cases seen by doctors in England up to March were later confirmed by laboratory tests.

Whooping cough cases in Cornwall week by week so far this year:

Cases have increased due to a “combination” of factors, including the cyclical nature of the disease and the impact and isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has reduced population immunity. Vaccine uptake has also declined in recent years – leaving many children unprotected from infection.
Four in 10 pregnant mothers do not get the maternal pertussis vaccine, which protects unborn babies from whooping cough, while about one in 12 infants do not receive the 6-in-1 vaccine by their first birthday.
Whooping cough – known clinically as pertussis, but sometimes known as the “100-day cough” because of the time it takes to shake it off – is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily and can sometimes cause serious problems.

Pharmacist Navin Khosla, from NowPatient, said: “For many years, whooping cough has been known as an infection that mainly affects children who have not been vaccinated, and although cases are still mostly among children, whooping cough can infect adults who have been vaccinated. , but protection from the vaccine has begun to wane.
“In most cases, whooping cough will have symptoms very similar to a common cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat, but these symptoms will intensify over a week. About seven days after being infected with whooping cough, longer coughing fits will occur and are most common at night. In addition, the intensity of coughing fits can cause difficulty breathing and produce thick mucus.
“The best protection against whooping cough is to vaccinate children and for adults to accept booster shots where appropriate. However, if you become infected and develop symptoms including vomiting, difficulty breathing and notice your face turning red or blue, seek medical attention. In most cases, a course of antibiotics will be prescribed by your GP, but symptoms may last for weeks or months.”
NHS National Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “If you are pregnant and have not yet been vaccinated, or your child is not up to date with whooping cough or other routine vaccinations, please contact your GP as soon as possible possible. and if you or your child have symptoms, make an urgent appointment with your GP or get help from NHS 111.”