Health Protection Agency Urges Pregnant Women To Take Up Whooping Cough Vaccine Offer

Three babies died from whooping cough in October as one of the worst outbreaks of the disease in decades continues, Health Protection Agency figures for England and Wales show. It brings the number of deaths in newborns, who are most at risk of fatal complications, to 13 this year. There were 1,614 infections last month, bringing the total to 7,728 this year. A UK-wide campaign to vaccinate pregnant women, to pass protection on to their children, is under way. There are surges in whooping cough cases every three to four years. However, the current outbreak has affected nearly 10 times as many people as the previous outbreak in 2008.

30/11/12 BBC News

Tweet