Queensland Health is urging pregnant women to get a free whooping cough (pertussis) vaccination to help protect their newborns.
This call to action comes as pertussis vaccination rates among pregnant women have declined from 77.2 per cent in 2020 to 70.7 per cent in 2023.
Several Hospital and Health Service regions have fallen below 65 per cent coverage, including Metro North, Darling Downs, Torres and Cape and West Moreton.
Queensland Health Communicable Diseases Branch Executive Director Dr Heidi Carroll said vaccination during pregnancy helps protect a child against whooping cough before they are old enough for their own vaccinations at six weeks.
“This disease can be life-threatening for young children, with most hospitalisations and deaths related to whooping cough occurring in babies less than six months old,” Dr Carroll said.
“Vaccinating pregnant women reduces the risk of babies contracting whooping cough by 75 per cent and also reduces the risk of serious illness avoiding hospitalisation.”
Recent data also reveals a decline in vaccination rates among one- and two-year-olds.
In December 2018, Queensland’s quarterly pertussis vaccination coverage rate was 94.4 per cent among one-year olds and 93.1 per cent among two-year olds.
By the end of September 2024, these rates had dropped to 90.8 per cent and 89.7 per cent, respectively.
This decline in vaccination rates coincides with a surge in whooping cough cases this year.
To date, 12,590 cases have been reported this year, nearly 23 times the number recorded at the same time last year (549).
The majority of cases have occurred among children aged 5-14, with more than 6,800 cases reported.
A total of 199 people have been hospitalised this year to date, including 37 infants under six months old.
Last year, 37 people were hospitalised, including 14 infants under six months old.
Dr Carroll urged people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and the community.
“We know that pertussis activity tends to increase every three to five years, and we’re seeing that trend now in Queensland,” Dr Carroll said.
“Vaccination is the most effective way to control whooping cough and is an important step towards reducing the risk associated with whooping cough infection and keeping more people safe from the disease.”
More information about whooping cough (pertussis), including when and how to get vaccinated, is available on the Queensland Health Vaccination and Immunisation Matters website.
ENDS
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