- Pregnant people are being encouraged to protect themselves and their unborn baby by getting a free whooping cough vaccine.
- This year there have been more than 7,000 cases reported compared to just over 100 cases in the same period last year.
- A whooping cough vaccination during pregnancy is the best way to protect your baby from the disease.
Queensland is currently experiencing a significant surge in whooping cough cases, posing a health risk to the community, particularly vulnerable infants.
In babies and infants this highly contagious respiratory infection, also known as pertussis, can lead to severe complications, including hospitalisation and even death.
From 1 January to 11 August 2024, there were 7,010 cases reported, compared to just 104 cases in the same period last year, representing a staggering 70-fold increase in cases.
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.
Vaccination is the most effective way to reduce the risk of whooping cough and pregnant people are recommended to receive a whooping cough vaccine each pregnancy to reduce the risk of their baby becoming seriously ill with whooping cough.
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.
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.
Since 2020 when vaccination rates were 77.2 per cent, there has been a downward trend of pregnant women receiving a whooping cough vaccine.
The whooping cough vaccine is available for free under the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ 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.
In 2023, vaccination coverage for children was strong, with 92.72 per cent of one-year-olds, 91.47 per cent of two-year-olds, and 93.10 per cent of five-year-olds protected against whooping cough.
While these numbers are encouraging, it’s important to note that overall childhood vaccination rates have declined over the last few years. This decrease is also being seen nationally.
