Whooping cough cases increase in Scotland amid a decline in vaccination rates

More than 5,000 reports of the infection have been recorded so far this year

A child receives the Tetravac vaccination, used conjointly against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis and whooping cough. Getty Images

Health experts are warning about an increase in cases of whooping cough in Scotland, citing a decline in the uptake of vaccines against the infection.

There have been more than 5,000 cases of whooping cough so far this year across the country – more than the three most recent years combined.

In England, where there has also been a substantial rise in cases, nine babies so far are known to have died between November and the end of May, with 2,591 cases of the disease recorded in May alone.

Outbreaks of the bacterial infection, which is also known as pertussis, tend to be cyclical, with cases rising every three to five years. But numbers this year have far outpaced rates seen in recent years.

The infection of the lungs and throat can be serious, especially for babies and young children.

It starts as a cold-like runny nose and sore throat but, after about a week, can develop into bouts of coughing that are typically worse at night.

Babies may also make a distinctive “whoop” noise or have difficulty breathing, though this is not a symptom in all cases.

“As pertussis continues to circulate in Scotland, immunisation of pregnant women and young children is vital,” a Public Health Scotland spokeswoman said.

The UK Health Security Agency advised parents to check their children’s vaccination records and urged pregnant women to have the whooping cough jab to protect their babies.

“Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time,” said Dr Mary Ramsay, director of immunisation at the UKHSA.

“Pregnant women are offered a whooping cough vaccine in every pregnancy, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks.

“This passes protection to their baby in the womb so that they are protected from birth in the first months of their life when they are most vulnerable and before they can receive their own vaccines.

“With cases continuing to rise and sadly nine infant deaths since the outbreak began last November, ensuring women are vaccinated appropriately in pregnancy has never been more important."

Cases of measles have also risen substantially due to poor vaccine uptake, with 2,154 laboratory-confirmed measles cases since October.

Earlier this year, the head of the UK Health Security Agency warned “concerted action” was needed to tackle the highly contagious virus. Muslim communities in the West Midlands, one of the worst affected areas, were advised there are alternatives available to the MMR pork derivative-based jab in a bid to help raise vaccine rates.

The number of children without any vaccinations against common deadly diseases is increasing worldwide, making it even harder to reach crucial global health goals set for the end of the decade.

The number of “zero-dose” children who have not been immunised against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DPT) rose between 2022 and last year to reach 14.5 million globally, according to data from the World Health Organisation and the UN children’s fund, Unicef.

This is about two million more children than before the Covid-19 pandemic, and is currently too high to reach the global target of no more than 6.5 million zero-dose children by 2030, the agencies said. The one exception is the region of the Americas which is ahead of its goal trajectory.

A child receives an injection against measles, rubella and polio in Nkozi town, about 84km from Uganda's capital, Kampala. AFP

The number of children who received the required three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine stalled at 84 per cent.

Weak health systems, instability and conflict explain rates for the countries with the lowest immunisation coverage.

Conflict-ridden Yemen and Sudan both registered coverage of 57 per cent, while North Korea had the lowest coverage at 41 per cent. India had the highest number of children – 1.6 million – with no immunisations.

Although Africa remains the region with the lowest coverage, it made the most improvement last year. Low-income countries have also shown modest improvement.