Parents need to vaccinate kids, say health experts as northern beaches sees massive rise in whooping cough

Parents should make sure their children have been vaccinated against whooping cough, after the northern beaches see a rise in cases.

Picture of a child coughing. Stock image.

The number of whooping cough cases have risen dramatically in the first six months of this year, according to the latest figures.

Up until the end of June there were 641 cases of the disease reported in the Northern Sydney Local Health District, which includes the northern beaches.

MUM WARNS OF WHOOPING COUGH IN NORTHERN BEACHES SCHOOLS

NEWBORNS AT RISK OF WHOOPING COUGH

This compares with 75 cases for the same period last year and 433 cases for the whole of 2014.

A spokesperson for the Northern Sydney Local Health District said whooping cough, also known as pertussis, had been increasing across the state since mid-2014.

WA Parents of Riley Hughes who passed away from whooping cough. They've been campaigning to encourage parents to vaccinate againt whooping cough, with great success. Photo by Daniel Wilkins. PICTURED - Greg and Catherine Hughes, with a photo of Riley.

“Vaccination is the major preventive strategy,” said the spokesperson.

A recent report found the national average of fully immunised five-year-olds was 97 per cent, while only 80.4 per cent were up to date in Manly.

A Beacon Hill mother, who did not want to be named, said she was angry that other parents were not vaccinating their children.

She said her seven-year-old daughter’s classmate had whooping cough and her daughter had this week developed a cough too.

Riley Hughes, from WA, who passed away from whooping cough. His parents have been campaigning to encourageothers to vaccinate againt whooping cough, with great success. Photo by Daniel Wilkins.

“While she is fully vaccinated and likely protected from the worst of this disease, I’m terribly concerned about my two-year-old, who is not yet old enough to be fully vaccinated, and who has asthma,” she said.

“Whooping cough could affect her terribly, with potential lifelong consequences.

“Not vaccinating your child doesn’t only affect your children, if affects those in the community who are the most vulnerable, like newborn babies, the elderly, or those with chronic conditions.”

The mother-of-two said a responsible citizen should vaccinate, because herd immunity prevents diseases from spreading in the community to those who genuinely can’t be vaccinated, or who are not old enough to be vaccinated.

NSW Health said parents should ensure their children are vaccinated.

Free vaccinations against whooping cough are now also available for pregnant women during their third trimester.

It is also recommending that adults in contact with small infants should have a booster vaccination if they have not already done so in the past 10 years.

Picture of a child coughing. Stock image.