Queensland in grip of whooping cough outbreak as cases skyrocket

Queensland remains in the grip of a whooping cough outbreak, with staff at Brisbane public hospitals reporting up to 28 times the number of cases normally seen by this time of year.

Between 2019 and 2023, Brisbane public health facilities had tallied an average of 213 pertussis cases by this time of year. In 2024, that number has soared to more than 4700.

In the past month alone, more than 150 cases have been reported each week, while the number statewide has already exceeded 15,000 for the year.

The number of whooping cough cases in Brisbane has exceeded 150 a week for the past month.Credit: Dan Peled

Queensland Health confirmed the death of a child, who was reportedly two months old. Nationwide there is an average of two deaths each year.

The Metro South region is the worst hit in Brisbane, reporting 87 cases in its latest week of data, taking its yearly total to 2504 – 27.9 times the four-year average.

Dr Paul Griffin, the director of infectious diseases at Mater Health Services, attributed the increase to behavioural changes post-COVID.

“It’s always a combination of things, but the two greatest challenges are that our vaccination rates have declined – and that certainly does lead to an increased susceptibility in the population – but also the things we are doing to mitigate the risk of infection are perhaps the least we’ve done in a long time,” Griffin said.

He said this was also contributing to a higher incidence of other illnesses, including Influenza A, COVID-19, and mycoplasma.

At the peak of this year’s flu season, up to 20 school-aged children were hospitalised daily with influenza. In the June quarter alone, there were 53,319 presentations to public emergency departments for respiratory complaints – 4000 more than the year before. Half of those resulted in hospital admissions.

Griffin said in addition to the return of a “soldiering on” mentality, part of the issue was “vaccine fatigue”, reflected in the lower take-up of free vaccinations this year.

“So many people now, I think, are just a little bit over thinking about infectious diseases,” he said.

“We saw very low numbers of influenza, RSV, and pertussis [whooping cough] when we had our COVID precautions in place.

“Now, of course, they’ve appropriately been relaxed, but if anything, we’ve probably overcorrected a little bit.”

One benefit to come out of the pandemic is that those with cold and flu symptoms now have better access to diagnostic equipment and facilities.

While there is no at-home rapid test kit for whooping cough – as there is for COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza A – many healthcare providers offer in-clinic testing that will cover a range of viral and bacterial infections.

Griffin said many respiratory infections went undetected in their early stage, when they were highly contagious.

“The telltale signs for [whooping cough] often don’t develop until some time later, in terms of that nasty cough,” he said.

Queensland Health says whooping cough should be treated with antibiotics, which must be taken within 21 days of the initial symptoms or 14 days of coughing.

Small children, babies, and the immunocompromised are considered at-risk groups for whom the illness can be life-threatening.

For more information, visit the Queensland Health website.

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