). Edited.]
Whooping cough outbreak continues with 675 new cases reported in June
27 July 2012
Confirmed cases of whooping cough in England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) are continuing to rise, with a further 675 cases reported in June, bringing the total so far this year to 2,466*, more than double the total for 2011 when 1,118 cases were reported for the whole year
The increase, which is continuing from the second half of 2011, has been reported across all regions in England with some areas reporting clusters in schools and healthcare settings.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a cyclical disease with increases occurring every three to four years. The last peak was in 2008 when 421 cases were reported to the HPA between 1 January and 30 June, compared with 2,466 cases for the first six months of 2012.
Whooping cough affects all ages, however, this ongoing increase has extended to very young babies who have the highest risk of severe complications and death. There were 186 cases reported in infants under three months so far this year compared to 84 cases in 2008. There have been five pertussis-related deaths in infants in 2012 compared to four in the same period in 2008.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the HPA said: ?The HPA is very concerned about the ongoing increase in cases and we are working closely with the Department of Health?s Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) to consider the most effective ways to tackle the ongoing outbreak. The JCVI are reviewing a number of options including the introduction of a booster dose in teenagers and offering whooping cough vaccination to pregnant women.?
At the June meeting of the JCVI, the committee advised whooping cough vaccination for healthcare workers working with young babies to protect them against the infection and importantly to stop any risk of them passing the infection on to their very young patients.
Dr Ramsay added: ?We welcome the JCVI review of the current vaccination recommendations. In the meantime we are actively reviewing our cases to see what interventions could have the quickest impact on the spread.
?Whooping cough can spread easily to close contacts such as household members. Vaccination is the most effective way to protect people from this infection and uptake of the vaccine in the UK is very good. In addition to this parents should ensure their children are up to date with their vaccinations so that they are protected at the earliest opportunity.
Whooping cough can be a very serious illness, especially in the very young. In older people it can be unpleasant but does not usually lead to serious complications. Anyone showing signs and symptoms, which include severe coughing fits accompanied by the characteristic ?whoop? sound in young children, but as a prolonged cough in older children and adults, should visit their GP.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. The 2,466* total of laboratory confirmed whooping cough cases reported to the HPA are provisional. These provisional numbers reflect the total cases which have been tested and then confirmed as positive. In some instances, for example in an outbreak situation, the HPA may not necessarily receive a sample for testing from every suspected case and therefore the true number of confirmed cases may be higher.
2. Regional, age and monthly breakdowns of figures for England and Wales
Table 1: Provisional number of confirmed cases of pertussis in England and Wales, 2008 to 2012 by age group: January to 30 June
[Age group ? 2008 ? 2009 ? 2010 ? 2011 ? 2012]
- <3 months - 84 - 66 - 28 - 72 - 186
- 3-5 months - 17 - 16 - 4 - 11 - 29
- 6-11 months - 4 - 1 - 1 - 3 - 8
- 1-4 years - 12 - 10 - 3 - 5 - 19
- 5-9 years - 12 - 9 - 6 - 7 - 50
- 10-14 years - 73 - 48 - 27 - 37 ? 323
- 15+ years - 219 - 199 - 105 - 176 - 1,851
- All ages - 421 - 349 - 174 - 311 - 2,466
Table 2: Provisional number of confirmed cases of pertussis, England and Wales, 2008 and 2012 by region: January to 30 June
[Region - Jan 2012 - Feb 2012 - March 2012 - April 2012 - May 2012 - June 2012 - 2012 to 30 June - 2008 to 30 June]
- East Midlands - 13 - 22 - 51 - 39 - 88 - 82 - 295 ? 38
- East of England - 9 - 14 - 11 - 28 - 71 - 72 - 205 - 39
- London - 23 - 13 - 22 - 27 - 58 - 41 - 184 - 46
- North East - 29 - 18 - 9 - 10 - 18 - 27 - 111 ? 22
- North West - 18 - 18 - 18 - 27 - 46 - 32 - 159 ? 44
- South East - 48 - 48 - 67 - 74 - 128 - 149 - 514 - 91
- South West - 46 - 40 - 53 - 85 - 150 - 124 - 498 - 76
- West Midlands - 7 - 8 - 12 - 18 - 54 - 42 - 141 - 30
- Yorkshire and Humber - 24 - 26 - 29 - 45 - 73 - 82 ? 279 ? 24
- Wales - 5 - 9 - 4 - 14 - 24 - 24 - 80 - 11
- England and Wales - 222 - 216 - 276 - 367 - 710 - 675 - 2,466 - 421
3. For more general information and data on whooping cough (pertussis) visit
http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/WhoopingCough/
4. The Health Protection Agency?s Guidelines for the Public Health Management of Pertussis can be found on the website:
http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/WhoopingCough/Guidelines/
5. NHS information on whooping cough can be found at NHS Choices:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/whooping-cough/Pages/Introduction.aspx [external link]
6. The Health Protection Agency is an independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. In April 2013 the Health Protection Agency will become part of a new organisation called Public Health England, an executive agency of the Department of Health. To find out more, visit our website:
www.hpa.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @HPAuk . ?Like? us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/HealthProtectionAgency [external link]
7. For more information please contact the national HPA press office at Colindale on 0208 327 7901 or email
colindale-pressoffice@hpa.org.uk. Out of hours the duty press officer can be contacted on 0208 200 4400.
Last reviewed: 26 July 2012
