Whooping cough cases have soared to the highest rate in more than a decade in Queensland with young children bearing the brunt of the deadly infection.
The number of infections soared to a whopping 14,783 cases in the Sunshine State in 2024, according to the latest figures from Queensland Health.
The figure is well above the 11,868 cases that were registered in 2014 and is 16 times higher than the 928 infections that were detected in 2023.
The staggering statistics come as vaccination rates fall across Australia and the end of Covid-19 advertising encouraging hand hygiene and mask-wearing.
Mater Health infectious disease director Paul Griffin said that while it was not uncommon for cough outbreaks to occur, the sudden increase in cases was alarming.
‘There are additional factors. Part of this is declining vaccination rates… and we’ve seen both infant and maternal vaccination rates fall in recent times,” Mr Griffin told Brisbane’s courier mail newspaper.
“I think the other factor is that at least for a few years we did all the right things and some additional things to mitigate the risk of infectious diseases… and that probably lowered those numbers for a while.”
Across Queensland, as of September 2024, 90.8 per cent of one-year-olds were vaccinated against the respiratory infection.
Whooping cough cases have soared to the highest rate in more than a decade in Queensland, with young children hardest hit (file image pictured)
The figure represents a 3.6 per cent decrease from the 94.4 per cent of one-year-olds who were vaccinated at the end of 2018, according to Queensland Health figures.
A baby in Queensland died in November after contracting the contagious disease.
Fewer pregnant women have also received the vaccine: 70.7 percent received the treatment in 2023 compared to 77.2 percent in 2020.
Figures from the National Center for Immunization Research and Monitoring reveal that vaccine coverage among children across the country also declined overall in 2023.
12-month-old babies had vaccination coverage of 92.8 percent in 2023, up from 93.3 percent in 2022.
More than 41,000 cases of whooping cough have been recorded in Australia as of November 2024. the guardian information.
The staggering statistics come as vaccination rates fall across Australia (file image pictured)
Queensland Health Communicable Diseases branch executive director Dr Heidi Carroll urged parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against the disease.
“This disease can be life-threatening in young children, and most hospitalizations and deaths related to whooping cough occur in babies younger than six months,” Dr. Carroll said.
“Vaccination is the most effective way to control pertussis and is an important step in reducing the risk associated with pertussis infection and keeping more people safe from the disease.”
Carroll said it was crucial that pregnant women were vaccinated against the infection to ensure babies and young children were protected.
“Vaccinating pregnant women reduces the risk of babies contracting pertussis by 75 percent and also reduces the risk of serious illness that prevents hospitalization,” Dr. Carroll said.
Queensland Health Communicable Diseases branch executive director Dr Heidi Caroll (pictured) urged parents to make sure their children are vaccinated against the disease.
The pertussis vaccine is available free of charge to children aged 18 months, 2, 4 and 6 years under the National Immunization Programme.
Pregnant women are also eligible to receive the free dose, and children and young adults between the ages of 12 and 19 are also eligible to receive the vaccine.
Booster doses are recommended 10 years after vaccination.
Whooping cough is a serious infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis.
Common symptoms include coughing, runny nose and sneezing before patients experience regular bouts of intense, heavy coughing.
The infection can cause pneumonia, brain damage, and occasionally death. The disease is dangerous for babies, however, the infection can affect people of any age.