Five infants died of whooping cough in Great Britain – highest infection rate in Norway since 2012

In the first three months of the year, five infants died of whooping cough in Great Britain, the country’s health authorities report. The number of infections continues to rise in the country.

Most dangerous for the little ones

New figures show that 1,319 people were registered as infected with whooping cough in March, while the figures were 918 and 556 for February and January respectively, British health authorities write in a press release.

– Unfortunately, five infants died in the first quarter of the year. Small infants are at greatest risk of serious complications and death from whooping cough, says the press release.

So far this year, over 32,000 cases of whooping cough have been registered in Europe. On Wednesday 8 May, the European Agency for Disease Control (ECDC) warned of the risk for the very smallest.

The infection is also increasing in Norway

According to figures from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), which monitors infection via MSIS, 534 cases were reported in April. That is 206 more than in March and the highest number of reported infected in a month since 2012.

A total of 31 hospitalizations have been reported, but no deaths in Norway so far in 2024.

Whooping cough is especially serious for infants.

17 children under the age of one have been diagnosed with whooping cough in 2024. In recent weeks, the incidence has been highest in Trøndelag, Akershus, Oslo and Innlandet.

The pandemic may explain the increase

In recent months, there has been a particular increase in the incidence of whooping cough in young people, says Margrethe Greve-Isdahl senior doctor at FHI in a press release.

She emphasizes, however, that it may be difficult to compare the situation now with figures from before the pandemic, because it may be that more people are being tested for whooping cough now than in the past. ECDC maintains the same, while lower vaccination coverage for pertussis vaccine in several countries and very little pertussis infection during the pandemic may help to explain the increase in the number of infections now.