There’s been a massive spike in whooping cough cases in Queensland, leading to a plea from health authorities for pregnant people to get vaccinated to protect their unborn babies.
There have been 7,010 cases reported across the state so far this year, compared to just 104 cases in the same period last year.
That’s a staggering 70-fold increase in cases.
Locally, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has recorded 117 cases in 2024, up from the usual average of 7 for this time of year.
Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard says the highly contagious respiratory infection, also known as pertussis, is particularly severe in infants under 6 months of age and can lead to severe complications, including hospitalisation and even death.
“While we encourage all Queenslanders to ensure their vaccinations are up to date, it is especially crucial for pregnant women to be immunised to protect themselves and their babies.
“Remarkably, vaccinating pregnant women reduces the risk of babies contracting whooping cough by 75 per cent.
“We are committed working closely with healthcare providers and expectant mothers to achieve high vaccination rates in this vulnerable group.”
According to the most recent Queensland Health data only 70.7 per cent of pregnant people in Queensland received a whooping cough vaccine in 2023.
“Immunisation between weeks 20 and 32 of every pregnancy, offers crucial protection in the critical early months of life before babies can be vaccinated themselves, and is provided free under the national immunisation program,” a statement from Queensland Health reads.
“The whooping cough vaccine is available for free under the National Immunisation Program during pregnancy, for children aged 2, 4, 6, and 18 months, and 4 years old, and for adolescents aged 11-13 years as part of the free Queensland School Immunisation Program.
“Anyone under 20 who missed a childhood whooping cough vaccine can also access one for free.
Whooping cough is a cyclical disease which peaks every three to five years.
During the last peak in 2019, there were only 937 cases of whooping cough reported for the same period.
