Qld whooping cough cases skyrocket amid vaccine hesitancy

Cases of whooping cough have exploded 6900 per cent this year with fears it’s only a matter of time before a baby dies. These are the symptoms you need to watch for.

Queensland mothers-to-be are putting the lives of their babies at risk by failing to get vaccinated against deadly whooping cough.

Case numbers have exploded 6900 per cent, with 7000 already recorded so far this year – up from 100 in the same period last year.

It comes as vaccination rates in pregnancy drop from 77.2 per cent in 2020 to 70.7 per cent in 2023.

Health authorities are so concerned about the current epidemic they fear a baby will die from the disease, which starts with seemingly innocuous cold and flu symptoms.

The killer disease has shocking symptoms that leave infants fighting for breath and coughing so hard they can break ribs.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Nick Yim said “anyone who has seen a baby struggling to breathe with whooping cough will never forget that sight”.

The devastating symptoms can last 100 days.

The alert comes amid rising vaccine hesitancy across Australia for many preventable diseases. Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that peaks every three to five years.

During the last peak in 2019, there were only 937 cases in Queensland – which has recorded 7000 cases this year for the same period.

When a pregnant woman is vaccinated, she protects the baby from whooping cough while in the womb and as a newborn.

Naomi Gomez and partner Josh McDonald with six-month-old Rohan McDonald, who has had his whooping cough injection. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

The baby can be immunised themselves at six weeks old as part of the immunisation schedule.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said whooping cough was particularly severe in infants aged under six months and could be life-threatening.

“Remarkably, vaccinating pregnant women reduces the risk of babies contracting whooping cough by 75 per cent. We are committed t working closely with healthcare providers and expectant mothers to achieve high vaccination rates in this vulnerable group,” Dr Gerrard said.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said: “Vaccination during pregnancy is an effective way to protect babies until they are old enough to be vaccinated.

“This single action can dramatically reduce the risk of their baby contracting the potentially fatal disease.”

The pertussis, or whooping cough vaccine, is available for free under the National Immunisation Program during pregnancy, for children aged 2, 4, 6, and 18 months – and for adolescents aged 12-19 (inclusive). Boosters are recommended 10 years after vaccinations.

Naomi Gomez and Josh McDonald, of Chermside on Brisbane’s northside, have ensured their six- month-old son, Rohan, is immunised.

“I was aware of how vulnerable babies are to whooping cough before six weeks and the importance of getting the vaccine while I was pregnant to protect him as a newborn,” Ms Gomez said.

“It is incredibly important for anyone in contact with a newborn to have a booster shot. It’s so easily spread.”

Whooping cough cases by age

* 2019 v 2024 to Aug

2 months ... less than 10 v 16

2 to 6 months ... 25 v 49

6 to 12 months ... 28 v 90

1 to 4 years .....148 v 470

5 to 9 years.....442 v 1496

10 to 19 years ....478 v 3152

20 to 29 years ....109 v 387

30 to 39 years ....125 v 300

40 to 49 years ....156 v 399

50 to 64 years .....160 v 395

65 plus years ....89 v 256

Originally published as Qld whooping cough cases skyrocket amid vaccine hesitancy