The New Zealand whooping cough cases have shot up dramatically forcing officials to declare a national epidemic. Last week on November 22, the health authorities confirmed the acceleration following weeks of steady high numbers in case reporting, hospitalization, and unlinked outbreaks nationwide.
The latest ESR figures show a sharp rise in cases, with 156 new whooping cough cases reported last week, a significant increase from 80 the previous week. Hospital admissions also spiked, with 10 people hospitalized, including four babies under the age of 12 months.
The Southland region has continued to dominate the country’s cases, now from 12 to 33 in cases in the week up to November 29. The province of Canterbury comes next at 20 new cases after its previous three. The Capital, Coast, and Hutt Valley region continues to grow, increasing with 16 new cases as against five cases last week.
The number of cases reported in New Zealand has reached 1,166 this year; in total, 110 were hospitalized, including 38 babies under six months old. As explained by Dr. Matt Reid from the National Public Health Service, many regions are confronted with high numbers of cases and hospitalizations are becoming commonplace; the increased public awareness regarding the epidemic is also likely contributing to increased reporting.
The surge in whooping cough cases has sparked concerns, especially on the safety of infants. According to University of Otago immunologist Dr. Dianne Sika-Paotonu, the trend is alarming because the infection presents severe risks to the younger children. “Whooping cough can be really risky for our little kids,” she said. A very contagious disease, but can be prevented through a vaccination, and that trend in immunization has also been falling in recent years.
This aside, health officials advise pregnant women to be vaccinated against whooping cough starting from 16 weeks of pregnancy. This vaccination remains the best protection that infants can receive before they can immunize themselves at six weeks. Babies whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy have a 90 percent chance of not being hospitalized for the disease, according to Dr. Reid.
Besides, health authorities ask parents to have their children vaccinated against whooping cough at six weeks, three months, five months, and again at four years of age. Free boosters are also provided to adults 45 years of age and older who haven’t had four previous doses of tetanus and those over 65.
The current epidemic follows a major whooping cough outbreak in 2017, with the highest rise in cases for the last few years. Experts have warned that case numbers will continue to rise in the coming weeks, emphasizing the need for vaccination in curbing the spread of the disease.
