Northern Ireland

Parents urged to vaccinate children against whooping cough after deaths of five babies in England

A total of 769 cases of whooping cough have been confirmed in Northern Ireland this year, compared to only two in 2021 and 2023

Whooping cough can sometimes be very serious
The current rise in whooping cough cases follows a trend for increased spread of the virus in Northern Ireland every three to four years. (Alamy Stock Photo)
By Allan Preston

YOUNG families in Northern Ireland have been urged to protect themselves against whooping cough after the deaths of five babies in England.

Health officials in England said cases by the end of March had trebled in 2024 to 2,793, compared to 858 cases for all of last year.

Five infant deaths were also confirmed between January and March.

The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, affects the lungs and breathing tubes and can be extremely serious for young babies.

In Northern Ireland, the Public Health Agency has confirmed 769 cases of whooping cough so far this year compared to only two between 2021 and 2023.

Pregnant women and the parents of young children are advised to book an appointment for the pertussis vaccine.

Louise Flanagan, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, said: “Whooping cough spreads very easily and can make babies and young children in particular very ill, and sadly can even be fatal in young babies or people with health conditions.

“However, the good news is that it can be prevented through vaccination, so it’s really important that parents get their babies vaccinated against it as part of the childhood vaccination programme, and that pregnant women also get vaccinated, as this will help protect their unborn baby from getting whooping cough in the weeks after birth.”

She explained the disease could cause long bouts of coughing and choking, making it difficult to breathe.

“The evidence shows that babies born to vaccinated mothers are 90% less likely to get the disease than babies whose mothers were unvaccinated,” she said.

The current increase follows a trend for whooping cough cases to rise every three to four years in Northern Ireland.

Parents or guardians can check their child is up to date with vaccinations by speaking to their GP or looking at their child’s red book.

Ms Flanagan added: “Just like we have seen with the MMR vaccine, which helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella, there has been a decrease in the percentage of children and pregnant women receiving the whooping cough vaccination. All childhood vaccines provide the best protection for children against severe infections.”

As whooping cough spreads easily, it is advised to call your GP practice or Out of Hours service to prevent the spread to others, while in an emergency call 999.

Further information is available at

For further information on whooping cough and vaccinations visit www.pha.site/whooping-cough and www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/whooping-cough