Australia hit by record-breaking outbreak

Australia is in the grips of the largest whooping cough epidemic since the introduction of vaccines against the potentially fatal lung disease, with more than 41,000 cases recorded since the start of the year.

Research by the Immunisation Foundation of Australia found the number of whooping cough cases this year had already smashed the previous record set in 2011 when 38,748 cases were reported.

With 54 days left before the end of 2024, researchers warned despite improvements to protection for the most vulnerable and at risk, whopping cough remained a “public health threat in Australia”.

“Epidemics of whooping cough follow a fairly predictable pattern, so we did predict a rise in cases this year,” University of Technology Sydney Research Fellow and Lecturer, Dr Laurence Luu said.

“However, we had not anticipated the magnitude of this outbreak, the largest since national notifiable reporting began.

“Given the significant rise in whooping cough cases, current vaccination rates are a major concern”.

The Immunisation Foundation found one in four adolescents turning 13 years old in 2023 missed out on their whooping cough booster, while only one-in-five people aged over 50 were up-to-date.

The Foundation recommends adults receive a booster shot at least every 10 years to maintain protection against whooping cough, which is more contagious than influenza, Covid, and measles.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection marked by a “severe hacking cough”, and can lead to serious illness and even death in infants, children, and pregnant women.

THE illness often begins with cold-like symptoms (runny nose, sore, watery red eyes, low-grade fever, general unwellness) although these symptoms are not present in all people.

AFTER three to seven days, a dry cough develops which can last for months and involve frequent, prolonged fits of coughing; the coughing is immediately followed by a deep breath in, resulting in the typical “whoop” (but some people do not “whoop”).

THE cough may be followed by vomiting.

WHOOPING cough kills about 250,000 children worldwide every year and many surviving children are left with brain damage.

- SA Health, Notifiable Disease Report

Symptoms of whooping cough don’t appear immediately – often for a week or two after infection – with the researchers finding one infected person can potentially spread it to 17 unvaccinated people.

While November is considered the worst month of the year for whooping cough, the Foundation said it was unlikely cases would abate with Spring and Summer often associated a spike in cases.

Immunisation Foundation of Australia founder Catherine Hughes AM’s four-week-old son Riley died from whooping cough complications. She urged people to be alert to the sign of infection.

“Many people are unaware of the necessity for a booster vaccine and are probably not adequately protected,” she said.

“We all have a role to play in controlling the spread of whooping cough and reducing the risk of infection in ourselves and others. It takes community effort to protect against whooping cough.”