What’s happening with whooping cough in Spain? Why are cases rising despite vaccination?

choking cough It is a respiratory infection caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis which is very contagious. The disease is characterized the beginning looks like a coldfollowed by prolonged paroxysmal coughing, causing periodic bouts of severe and uncontrollable coughing, often accompanied by characteristic inspiratory stridor.

As explained by the Spanish Association of Pediatricians, although it has always been considered a childhood disease, in recent decades it has been increasingly detected in older people. Currently in Western countries there are two peaks of incidence, babies up to 3-4 monthsin which it represents significant morbidity and mortality and teenagers and young adultsin which it manifests itself as a prolonged cough and which act as vectors of infection.

Vaccination in Spain

In Spain, vaccination against this disease has been carried out systematically since the 1960s, and the general vaccination schedule currently includes four doses

Primary vaccination coverage has remained above 90% in recent decades. In 2023, primary vaccination coverage was 98.2%, vaccination coverage among pregnant women was 88.5%.

Despite vaccination data, number of infections rises. During the 2020-2022 pandemic, the incidence of whooping cough sharply decreased, but since mid-2023 the disease has experienced rapid growth.

According to updated data from the National Epidemiological Center of the Carlos III Institute of Health for April, the estimated incidence between January and March 2024 is 81.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, far higher than the values ​​​​reached in 2015. From 4 October From 2023 to April As of 11 December 2024, 11,175 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Spain.

Why are there more cases?

What is the reason for such an increase in incidence in recent years, despite vaccination?

In adolescence they ask for another puncture

Regarding booster shots at 11 months and 6 years, vaccine experts asked to include a new dose in the calendar at 12-14 years.. In addition, infants and infants under 2 months of age who have not yet received the vaccine have a higher risk of severe illness, with a greater likelihood of complications and even death.

Disease in three phases

Pediatrician at the Quironsalud Infanta Luisa Hospital in SevilleAndres Osuna Vera explains that the disease classically has three phases:

After an incubation period of 4–21 days,

Patients experience symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection, such as rhinorrhea, low-grade fever, and a cough similar to a common cold.

Between the second and sixth weeks, the paroxysmal phase will be accompanied by a very intense cough, that is, a cough of five to ten beats during which the child does not breathe, ending with the classic inspiratory stridor or “cock crow.” Lasts two weeks with nonspecific catarrhal symptoms: rhinitis, sneezing, low-grade fever (if present), lacrimation, light, dry and irritating cough, which becomes increasingly intense.

Finally, the recovery phase begins when symptoms gradually decrease. “The total duration of the disease is up to three months,” he noted.