whooping cough outbreak 2024 uk

Whooping cough in the UK: What you need to know as outbreak kills 10 babies

More than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across England so far in 2024

Ten babies have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough in England, following a warning being issued on the disease earlier this year.

Between January and June this year, there were 10,493 confirmed cases of whooping cough, with the figure standing at 2,427 in June.

This is over ten times more than the number recorded in the whole of 2023.

Another baby tragically died from the current outbreak at the start of August, bringing the total up to ten.

UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam said:

“Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but for very young babies it can be extremely serious.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby.”