The Health Protection Agency has published new figures that show cases of whooping cough have continued at high levels during November.
Its new data show that 1,080 confirmed cases were reported for England and Wales last month, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 8,819; however, there were no deaths reported in November.
But the total cases reported during November is a decrease from October, when 1,631 cases were reported for England and Wales, which is the first time it has seen a decrease in monthly numbers since the current outbreak began in the middle of 2011.
However, a decrease in cases is usually seen at this time of year so this does not necessarily represent the end of this severe outbreak, the HPA warns.
At the end of September, the Department of Health announced that pregnant women would be offered whooping cough vaccination to protect their new born babies, who do not usually start their vaccinations against whooping cough until they are two months of age.
The aim of the vaccination programme is to help to boost the short term immunity passed on by women to their babies while they are still in the womb.
It is too soon for this vaccination campaign to have had an impact on the case numbers we are seeing, however, the Department of Health recently reported an uptake of around 40% in pregnant women, the HPA said.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at the HPA, said: “The November figures show a welcome decrease of whooping cough cases since October. However, it is very important to note that we usually see a reduction in cases of whooping cough at this time of year so this decrease is in line with normal seasonal patterns.
“The recent announcement that at least 40 per cent of pregnant women received the whooping cough vaccine in the first month of the programme is very encouraging. We would like to remind pregnant women how serious this infection can be in young babies and how it can in some cases cause death. Vaccination between 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy should offer babies the best protection against whooping cough before they receive their own vaccines.
“As well as this, parents should ensure their children are vaccinated against whooping cough on time, even babies of women who’ve had the vaccine in pregnancy – this is to continue their baby’s protection through childhood.”
