Suspected cases of whooping cough in Leicestershire rise after eight babies die in England

The number of whooping cough continues to rise in the country, with new figures showing that eight babies have now died from the disease in the first four months of the year, between January and April.

The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) revealed last month that five babies died in England after contracting whooping cough in the first three months of the year. In its latest update, UKHSA said three more children had died.

It comes as laboratory tests confirmed 4,793 whooping cough infections in England alone between January and April. Whooping cough – sometimes known as “100-day cough” – is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily and can sometimes cause serious problems. Babies are most at risk of severe complications from the disease.

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Separate figures show the UKHSA has received more than 31,000 notifications of suspected cases of whooping cough in England and Wales so far this year, including 4,360 in the last three weeks to June 2.

Suspected cases have risen in Leicestershire, with 197 in the city and county, an increase of 77 suspected cases in the past two weeks. Charnwood is worst affected, with 39 possible cases reported by Sunday 2 June.

The borough was closely followed by Blaby and Leicester, both with 34 suspected cases. Hinckley and Bosworth had 27 reports, North West Leicestershire, 20, and Melton, 18. Oadby and Wigston follow with 13 suspected cases and Harborough has the fewest with 12.

However, suspected local cases remain low compared to many areas of the country. In the past three weeks, more possible cases have been diagnosed in Bristol (144) than anywhere else in England and Wales, followed by Sheffield (88) and then Nottingham (85).

Bristol has now recorded the most suspected cases of the whole year with 387, followed by Nottingham (340) and Cardiff (252). You can see suspicious cases nearby with our interactive map.

GPs are required to make a referral to the UKHSA whenever they diagnose a case of what they believe to be whooping cough. These are then tested to see if they are the disease, so the actual number of cases could be lower.

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 the course of 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.

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 led to reduced immunity. Vaccine uptake has also declined in recent years. Four in 10 expectant mothers do not get the maternal pertussis vaccination, while about one in 12 infants do not receive the 6-in-1 vaccine by their first birthday.

Announcing the infant deaths, UKHSA said: “In the 12 years prior to the introduction of maternal pertussis vaccination in October 2012, 63 deaths occurred in babies under one year of age with confirmed pertussis.

“Since the introduction of pertussis vaccination in pregnancy, from 2013 to the end of April 2024, there have been 29 deaths in babies with confirmed pertussis who were too young to be fully protected by infant vaccination. Unfortunately, this includes eight deaths in infants who contracted pertussis between January and April 2024. Of the 29 infants who died, 23 had mothers who were not vaccinated during pregnancy.”

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.”

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