Whooping cough epidemic broke out strongly in the UK in the first 4 months of the year, the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recorded 5 children dying.
The number of infections increased from 1,300 cases in March, to more than 2,700 cases in April, more than 50% of which were people aged 15 years and older. Children under 5 years old are the group experiencing serious complications, even death.
Since December 2023, the number of whooping cough cases has increased across the UK and several countries around the world due to a variety of factors. This is a disease that has outbreak cycles and peaks every three to five years. The last cyclical increase was in 2016. During the Covid-19 pandemic, case numbers fell to very low levels.
“While it is difficult to predict, pertussis outbreaks can last for several months. So I would not be surprised if the number of cases increases or at least remains at low levels in the near future.” altitude,” said Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA.
Although whooping cough develops in a normal cycle, Dr. Amirthalingam still expressed concern and recommended raising public awareness about the disease, especially among pregnant women.
Whooping cough is a type of bacteria transmitted through the respiratory tract (coughing, sneezing or sharing a breathing space with an infected person). Symptoms are similar to a cold, including mild fever and occasional cough. These symptoms usually last one to two weeks, then the patient will begin to cough more severely. Whooping cough symptoms tend to be more common at night, and can be severe enough to cause nausea, vomiting or broken ribs. Symptoms last continuously for 10 weeks, then gradually decrease.
Doctors may prescribe antibiotics to reduce the severity of the disease and prevent spreading it to others. However, it is necessary to use the medicine in the first three weeks of the illness, ideally before the cough begins, while the bacteria are still in the body.
Experts say vaccination is still the safest disease prevention measure. Children receive the “6 in one” shot at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age, protecting against both tetanus and polio. After that, children need a booster vaccination before the age of three.
Although the pertussis vaccine is effective in preventing severe symptoms and complications, the protection does not last a lifetime. Recent Canadian research shows that the vaccine is 80-84% effective against infection in the first 4 years. However, immunity gradually declines during this time.
In the UK, whooping cough prevention programs for pregnant women have been implemented since 2012, to protect newborns, when they are too young and cannot be vaccinated.
In Vietnam, since Tet, whooping cough has reappeared in many localities, especially Hanoi.