British baby dies from whooping cough as vaccination rates fall

LONDON: A baby in the UK has died from whooping cough, marking the first such death in the country this year.

The infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways. This death occurred as vaccination rates among children and pregnant women in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, can be fatal for babies, who are at the highest risk of severe illness or death. The child, thought to be under the age of one, was taken ill and died between March and June this year, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which is responsible for protecting the public from infectious diseases and other threats. It follows the death of a child from measles at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool last month and the deaths last year of 11 children in England after an outbreak of whooping cough.

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, the UKHSA deputy director, said: “Sadly, with a further infant death in the second quarter of 2025, we are again reminded how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who have so tragically lost their baby.”

The agency warned last week that vaccination rates for primary schoolchildren were at the lowest levels for 15 years. Almost one in five children starting primary school this week in England are not fully protected from diseases including whooping cough, polio, tetanus and diphtheria. This puts the UK well below the World Health Organization’s 95% threshold for herd immunity for all childhood vaccines.

Only 83.7% of five-year-olds have received both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while uptake of the four-in-one preschool booster vaccine – which protects against polio, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria – stood at 81.4% among five-year-olds in England.

From next year, the NHS will begin vaccinating all babies against chickenpox, or varicella, by combining it with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in a new MMRV.

Vaccine rates among pregnant women for whooping cough reached a peak of 76% in 2016 but fell to 59% by March last year. Since the deaths last year, vaccination rates among mothers recovered to 73%, but are still below the peak.

“Ensuring women are vaccinated in pregnancy has never been more important,” Amirthalingam said. “Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks. This passes protection to their baby in the womb so that they are protected from birth.

“The recent increase in uptake of the whooping cough vaccine among pregnant women across the country shows that even more mothers are taking steps to protect their newborns. We want to ensure every expectant mother is offered the vaccine at the optimal time and understands that this vaccine is the best way to protect their baby during those crucial first weeks after birth.

“If you are pregnant and approaching 20 weeks, and haven’t been offered the whooping cough vaccine, please speak to your GP or midwife today to find out how you can get your vaccine.”

Courtesy: theguardian