A FIVE-WEEK-OLD baby has died from whooping cough, public health officials have said.
Five British babies have died from the disease so far this year, as cases continue to surge across the country.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed there were 1,319 cases in March 2024.
This is a 44 per cent increase on the 918 cases in February and a 137 per cent rise on the 556 cases reported in January.
It is a massive surge from 858 cases and one death during the whole of 2023.
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It comes after the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed this week there is an epidemic on the continent.
The death was noted at a meeting of Warwickshire's health and wellbeing board, where concerns were discussed over the increase in cases nationally.
Figures from UKHSA show three cases in Rugby in the past week, seven in the past fortnight and 35 cases for the year up to May 4.
The illness, real name pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs.
It spreads quickly between children and starts like a cold but may evolve into a bad, long-lasting cough - which is why it is sometimes nicknamed the '100-day-cough'.
The UKHSA said the bug peaks every three to five years, and the last spike in the UK was in 2016.
Dr Shade Agboola, Warwickshire’s director of public health told the meeting: “We have been busy in the health protection space in the past couple of weeks.
“The information out there in the media around pertussis, whooping cough, and the increase in the number of cases has unfortunately impacted us.
“We had a death from pertussis a couple of weeks ago in a five-week-old baby in Rugby.
"We are working closely with the UK Health Security Agency to come up with a range of actions to support that particular community where the death has happened.”
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Meanwhile, the UK faces a critical shortage of whooping cough antibiotics clarithromycin, believed to be driven by the surge in cases.
The antibiotics may not relieve symptoms, the drugs can stop the infection from spreading to others.
Get vaccinated
Experts say the rise in cases could be down to a fall in vaccination uptake.
Pregnant women can get a free vaccine that gives their baby 92 per cent protection from birth.
Tots’ immunity is then topped up with the six-in-one NHS jab at eight, 12 and 16 weeks old with a booster at age three.
Eighty per cent of infant deaths since 2012 – 21 out of 26 – were in babies born to unvaccinated mothers.
NHS medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, added: "It is vital that families come forward to get the protection they need."
Just 61 per cent of pregnant women in England were vaccinated in 2023, down from 71 per cent in 2020.
Nationwide Covid-19 lockdowns also played their role, meaning people have been left with less immunity to the illness.
In response to spiralling cases across the country, several GP surgeries have asked their patients to come to appointments wearing masks.
