Europe warns of increasing risk of whooping cough spread

Number of whooping cough cases have risen sharply over the past 15 months in Europe. It has already caused more than 25,000 cases in 2023 and more than 32,000 between January and April 2024, according to the latest report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). That is, throughout 2023 and until April 2024, they were discovered in European countries. 60,000 cases of whooping coughten times more than in 2021 or 2022,

The risk of whooping cough epidemic has increased sharply even in countries with high vaccination rates gradually, from three to five years. Children under six months of age who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated are the population most at risk. with risk of death.

ECDC called on health authorities strengthen vaccination programs achieve adequate coverage of the child population, which involves timely and timely provision of primary immunization. also provide booster doses in accordance with national vaccination calendars.

He also recalled that vaccines in the second or third trimester of pregnancy This is a very effective means of preventing the disease in newborns who have not yet received the vaccine and are therefore at risk.

Last March, a recent report from the National Epidemiological Center (CNE) of the Carlos III Institute of Health revealed that a child died in 2023 due to an epidemic outbreak of whooping cough. As they explained, “this is an infant in the first month of life, without risk conditions, whose mother was not vaccinated during pregnancy.”

What is whooping cough

Whooping cough is a disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis., which can affect anyone, but primarily causes worrying symptoms in children. Initially, these symptoms are very similar to a common cold. However, over time this can lead to very severe cough accompanied by difficulty breathing and high fever.. Its complications include pneumonia, seizures and a wide range of effects caused by lack of oxygen.

For this reason, vaccination of pregnant women was introduced in 2016, immediately after another whooping cough epidemic. It was found that this practice ensured that newborns would have enough antibodies resist infection until they receive the first dose of vaccine when they are two months old.

Additionally, the current vaccination schedule recommends four more doses: primary vaccination at the ages of 2 and 4 months and two booster vaccinations at the ages of eleven months and six years.