Whooping cough cases are said to be on the rise in the UK. Over 700 people may have been infected with the Victorian disease in England and Wales between July and November, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Last year, the same period only saw 217 cases. The numbers have now tripled, with experts warning of the serious consequences of the infection.
The current hotspots are in South East England and the West Midlands. Despite the rise in cases from 2022 to 2023, the UKHSA explained that confirmed cases of whooping cough are lower now than they were in the years before the Covid pandemic.
Also known as pertussis and the 100 day cough, whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes with early symptoms similar to those of a cold. It can spread quickly and can cause serious problems.
In babies, the Victorian disease can lead to pneumonia, seizures and even death. Globally, whooping cough kills hundreds of thousands of children every year, but death rates are highest in countries that don’t offer a vaccine.
The rise in whooping cough cases comes as hospitals in northern China and Beijing are seeing thousands of children coming down with respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia. Fortunately, no new pathogen has been detected so far and there have also been no cases where children appear to be much sicker than normal.
The country reported a rise in pneumonia, influenza, adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), prompting it to bring back face masks and social distancing.
Despite the large numbers of ill, some experts have voiced that the spikes don’t currently seem surprising given the lifting of Covid restrictions.
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