Australians urged to get whooping cough vaccination as infections rise more than tenfold in year

Health authorities across Australia are urging people to get vaccinated as cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, continue to surge.

The latest national data shows more than 26,700 cases reported so far in 2024, compared with 2,451 cases for all of 2023. The numbers are being driven by cases in Queensland and NSW.

Data published on Thursday shows more than 12,700 of the cases reported are in NSW – the highest level since 2016. In Queensland, there have been almost 8,600 cases, compared with just over 100 cases in the same period in 2023.

Victoria has seen more than 4,000 cases, while in South Australia, cases are at a six-year high; health authorities there have alerted to almost 550 infections so far in 2024.

Babies less than six months old are at greatest risk of severe disease and death, because they are too young to get vaccinated. This means pregnant women, parents and carers of babies, grandparents and other people in close contact with babies need to be vaccinated to protect them.

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Source: The Guardian, 12 September 2024