Australia: 2010 Whooping cough cases

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Source: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au...reatens-coast/

Deadly infection threatens Coast

Kathy Sundstrom | 4th February 2010


HEALTH specialists have been stunned by a Sunshine Coast outbreak of the potentially deadly whooping cough, with 216 cases diagnosed in the past three months.

Medical practitioners believe the decision of parents to not vaccinate is behind the latest outbreak of whooping cough.

HEALTH specialists have been stunned by a Sunshine Coast outbreak of the potentially deadly whooping cough, with 216 cases diagnosed in the past three months.

In the Sunshine Coast?s last outbreak, during the same period last year, only 68 cases were reported.

Public health physician Dr Andrew Langley said ?low levels of immunity? was the important factor behind the size of the latest outbreak.

The Sunshine Coast and northern New South Wales shared the lowest vaccination rate in the country with only 80% of the population vaccinating their children.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Mason Stevenson said the national average was ?sitting at around 90%?.

The health of young babies is most at risk from the highly contagious bacterial infection.

Complications in infants include lung damage, brain damage, seizures and death. ?It is a distressing prolonged illness for adults and children,? Dr Stevenson said.

?But it is potentially life-threatening in children under six months with 50% requiring oxygenation, monitoring and supervision.

?As the medical profession, we believe it is important to maintain high immunisation levels in the community.?

Dr Stevenson said he did not believe the outbreak would end soon with ?many new cases? diagnosed on the Coast in all age groups.

?These numbers are unprecedented in recent living memory,? he said.

He said the number of people suffering from whooping cough could in reality be much higher as many patients did not have the swab or blood tests which officially confirmed a diagnosis.

Dr Stevenson said another factor in the rampant spread of the illness was ?the slow wearing off of immunity over many years?.

Dr Langley said Queensland Health has alerted childcare, maternity units and GPs to the outbreak and interventions they could provide.

?Queensland Health is providing free pertussis vaccine to birth, adoptive and foster parents of children born on or after May 1, 2009,? he said.

The Sunshine Coast is not the only region experiencing the outbreak with 89 cases confirmed state-wide in the week ending January 24, and 1559 cases in the past three months. Last year, there were 6154 cases in Queensland. In 2008, there were 2278, and in 2007, 1535.

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/ne...a/1742317.aspx

Whooping cough cases soar in Riverina
BY AMBER PICKETTE
04 Feb, 2010 10:25 AM

With the number of cases of whooping cough in the Greater Southern Area almost doubled in 2009 compared with the previous year, parents are being urged to ensure all children are up-to-date with their immunisations.

Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) recorded a whopping 900 cases of whooping cough in the area last year, up from 519 cases the year before.

GSAHS immunisation co-ordinator Alison Nikitas attributes the huge spike to parents not getting their children vaccinated early enough.

"The percentage of 12- and 24-month-old babies being vaccinated was at 93-94 per cent, whereas the percentage of four-year-olds receiving their booster shots is only at 83 per cent, which is really poor," she said.

As school returns this week, GSAHS recommends children be immunised with their scheduled boosters at no later than four years of age.

"Parents should remember... diseases are easily spread from person to person, and when immunisation rates fall the diseases can return," Ms Nikitas said.

At four years of age, children receive their booster shots for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio. GSAHS recommends parents take advantage of the Wagga Council Immunisation Clinic to be held later on this month.

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...16/2821256.htm

Adult vaccinations urged for whooping cough

Victoria's chief health officer is urging people to ensure they are vaccinated against whooping cough after several cases have been reported in south-west Victoria.

Nine people have caught the contagious disease in the region since the start of the year.

Chief health officer, Dr John Carnie, says most people have been vaccinated as babies, but the protection often wears off by adolescence.

He says vaccination is the best way of stopping the spread of whooping cough.

"The effect starts to wear off as children get older," Dr Carnie said.

"Now we do give a booster in school, school-age children, but older adolescents and young adults particularly we find that the effect of the vaccine has worn off."

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...18/2823741.htm

Whooping cough warning issued by Qld Health

By Katherine Spackman
Posted 8 hours 48 minutes ago

Queensland Health is renewing its call for parents and carers of babies to be immunised against whooping cough with the illness still on the rise.

About 6,000 cases were reported last year.

More than 700 have been recorded since January this year.

Dr Jeanette Young says whooping cough can be fatal for babies, and parents and carers need to have a booster dose of the vaccine. ..

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...09/2868467.htm

Whooping cough on the decline

There has been a dramatic fall in the incidence of whooping cough in Tasmania.

The Public Health Department says more than 100 cases a month were being reported during last year's epidemic but there were only 14 last month.

A total of 650 cases were reported last year, 20 times the average.

The state's Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr Chrissie Pickin says Tasmania was hit hard by both whopping cough and swine flu last year.

"We experience cyclical epidemics of whooping cough every three to four years or so."

"This current one started around September 2008, peaking in June 2009, and that's why we had such a difficult year last year," she said.

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1225856148494


Whooping cough on deadly comeback trail

* TORY SHEPHERD
* From: The Advertiser
* April 21, 2010 12:01AM

INFECTIOUS and potentially fatal whooping cough has struck at least 1500 South Australians so far this year.

The number is almost twice as many as at the same time last year when there was a record outbreak of the disease.

That appears to have continued into this year, and SA has the highest rate of notified infections in the country.

Whooping cough is a nose, throat and lung infection that causes intense bouts of coughing, often followed by a "whooping" in-drawn breath in children. It causes breathing difficulties and kills about 250,000 children a year worldwide.

Last year there were more than 5000 notifications in SA, which was the highest level on record.

At this stage last year there had been 818 notifications. About 4 per cent of infected people end up in hospital...

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/lo...h/1825938.aspx

Vaccination call for whooping cough
BY DELLARAM JAMALI
10 May, 2010 11:35 PM
CASES of whooping cough in the Ballarat and Grampians region have more than halved since this time last year, according to the Ballarat and District Division of General Practice.

But Nursing in General Practice program co-ordinator Jo Millard said the figures were still indicative of a prevalent problem.

This year to date, Ballarat has recorded 22 cases of whooping cough compared to 45 cases this time last year.

But in May 2008, there were only three notifications of the contagious disease.

"We've seen a lot more cases in the last two years in Victoria," Ms Millard said.

more..............

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-brea...0511-up8n.html

Surge in whooping cough cases
Posted by: 3AW Radio | 11 May, 2010 - 8:18 AM
Whooping Cough

Victorians are being reminded of the importance of whooping cough vaccinations with health authorities reporting a surge in whooping cough notifications...

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...17/2900967.htm

Whooping cough epidemic worries health experts
By Sam Burgess
Posted Mon May 17, 2010 8:00am AEST


Queensland Health says whooping cough has reached epidemic proportions in parts of Queensland.

There have been 147 cases diagnosed in southern Queensland so far this year - up from 119 on the same time last year...

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Outrage over campaign after baby's death

15:27 AEST Tue Jul 27 2010

A mother who lost a four-week-old baby to whooping cough has called on the state and federal governments to do more to promote vaccination.

The call came as NSW's Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) issued a warning against the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), which campaigns against vaccination, after it allegedly used the baby's death to promote its opposition.

In March 2009 Toni and David McCaffery lost their four-week-old baby Dana to whooping cough.

Shortly afterwards they learned that Dana's death was being used as part of an anti-vaccination campaign.

more.................

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/7935728/outrage-over-campaign-after-babys-death

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Anti-vaccination campaigners slapped with safety warning

By Bronwyn Herbert
Updated Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:08pm AEST

The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission has taken the unusual step of issuing a safety warning against a group of anti-vaccination campaigners.

The Commission says the group, known as the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), has refused to include a prominent disclaimer on its website stating the information should not be taken as medical advice.

Australia faced a whooping cough epidemic last year. More than 19,000 cases were reported and three babies died, including four-week-old Dana McCaffery from the NSW north coast.

Paediatrician Chris Ingall treated the sick babies and says immunisation rates have fallen dramatically since the AVN became active in the region.

more..............

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/27/2965244.htm

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...18/2985912.htm

Whooping cough detected at Monaro High
Posted 2 hours 43 minutes ago

A potentially fatal disease has been detected on the Monaro in the New South Wales south east.

Parents of students at Cooma's Monaro High have been asked to ensure their children are immunised against whooping cough, after a case was confirmed at the school...

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/quee...isbanetimes_sb

Whooping cough epidemic gains pace
Amelia Bentley
August 31, 2010 - 8:17AM

Health authorities have warned a whooping cough epidemic is spreading throughout Queensland.

The Sunshine State has the most people in Australia falling ill with the infectious disease, prompting a state-wide call for children and adults to be immunised.

Health professionals say an increasing number of adults are coming down with the severe illness, which can be potentially fatal for babies.

Australian Government figures show in July this year Queensland had 687 reported cases of whooping cough.

The second-highest rate was 423 cases in South Australia, followed by 411 in Victoria and 304 in New South Wales...

...Queensland Health statistics also show the illness is on the rise.

There were 4060 reported cases of whooping cough between January 1 and mid-August this year.

This is compared to 3779 in the same period in 2009 and 958 cases between January 1 and mid-August in 2008...

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...07/3005182.htm

Whooping cough epidemic spreading through Qld
By Toni Crisp
Posted 5 hours 7 minutes ago


A whooping cough epidemic is spreading across Queensland, with four times more cases than in 2008.

Queensland Health (QH) says more than 4,000 people have contracted the disease this year...

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Re: AU: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://australianetworknews.com/stor...30.htm?desktop

Whooping cough kills Australian baby

There have been nearly 4,000 cases of whooping cough in South Australia this year. [ABC]

James Hancock

Last Updated: 17 hours 21 minutes ago

A baby has died from whooping cough for the first time in South Australia in nine years.

The five-week-old boy from Adelaide died in intensive care earlier this week...

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Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/bre...-1225925534708

Fourth baby dies of whooping cough

* By Danny Rose
* From: AAP
* September 17, 2010 5:38PM


THE death of another baby in Australia's slow-moving whooping cough epidemic underscores the importance of broad immunisation coverage, an expert says.

The five-week-old boy died in the intensive care ward of an Adelaide hospital earlier this week, and Professor Peter McIntyre said this was the fourth child death in a pertussis outbreak which started in 2008.

The infant contracted the bacterial lung infection when he was too young to receive the whooping cough vaccine, which can be administered after a child is six weeks old.