05 January 2024 , 23:36
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Doctors are becoming increasingly concerned over surging cases of a Victorian disease in children.
Data shows whooping cough is on the rise in England and Wales, with the number of suspected cases more than doubling last month. Meanwhile, vaccine rates have dropped to their lowest in seven years.
The bacterial disease is characterised by convulsive coughs followed by a 'whoop' or gasp for breath in between. The lung infection can last up to several months.
As many as 77 patients are thought to have been infected in the week commencing December 3, according to UKHSA data - more than double the 35 cases reported in the week ending November 13. The worst affected regions include London (17 cases), the North West (14) and the South East (13).
Other hotspots include Wales where doctors reported nine suspected cases, making it the fourth most affected area. The South West and Yorkshire came in fifth, with five cases each.
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Long-term figures between July and the end of November last year reveal 856 suspected whooping cough cases - nearly 600 more than those in the same period in the two years prior. The spike in cases is thought to be down to lowered immunity during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, with doctors saying it's not unusual for cases to surge every three or four years.
However, the drop in vaccination rates is a cause for concern among doctors. Although jabs are typically used to protect against viruses, a whooping cough vaccine contains an inactive form of the Bordetella pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis bacteria.
Figures from 2022 show an average vaccine uptake across England of 61.5 per cent, a decrease of 3.9 per cent since 2021 and 7.6 per cent from 2020. Professor Beate Kampmann, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Sun: "The rise in cases might be because of missed vaccination appointments, possibly during the Covid pandemic."
Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia meanwhile said doctors were seeing a "return to pre-pandemic levels" of the illness. "Back in the 1980s, we were seeing tens of thousands of notifications each year," he said. "But by the 2000s, notifications were only in the hundreds because people were getting vaccinated - this was until Covid arrived on the scene."
Symptoms of whooping cough also include difficulty breathing after a coughing bout, with young children known to turn blue or grey, according to the NHS. Patients can also cough up mucus, which can result in vomiting.
Most affected regions:
- London - 17 cases
- North West - 14 cases
- South East - 13
- Wales - 9
- South West - 5
- Yorkshire - 5
- East of England - 4
- East Midlands - 4
- West Midlands - 2