A vaccination campaign has been launched by health officials in response to a notable increase in whooping cough cases in Northern Ireland, reports RTE.
In light of the fact that there have been 72 confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in Northern Ireland thus far this year, as opposed to just two between 2021 and 2023, the Public Health Agency (PHA) has advised expectant mothers and parents of young children to schedule appointments for the vaccination.
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,” reports RTE.
“Whooping cough is a disease that can cause long bouts of coughing and choking, which can make it hard 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. Whooping cough tends to circulate in greater numbers in Northern Ireland every three to four years,” she said, reports RTE.
“Currently we are seeing an increase, so it is a timely reminder of the importance of vaccination,” reports RTE.
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