Three more babies die from whooping cough as cases soar across the country
manchestereveningnews.co.ukThree more babies have died from whooping cough in England, health officials have confirmed. It takes the total number of babies who have died from the disease since the start of the year to eight.
It comes amid a rapid rise in cases of whooping cough in recent months, with 4,793 confirmed cases since January compared to 858 in the whole of 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
And the rise comes as the country has seen whooping cough vaccine uptake decline in recent years, the UKHSA says. Pregnant women are being urged to get the jab.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby. READ MORE: First picture of man murdered as he sat having coffee by the canal in Manchester “With whooping cough case numbers across the country continuing to rise and sadly the further infant deaths in April, we are again reminded how severe the illness can be for very young babies.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
