In England, more than three times as many people fell ill with whooping cough in three months as in the whole of the previous year. Five children died. The whooping cough wave that has already hit Denmark is caused by influences that can also carry it to Germany.
After the number of whooping cough cases had already increased tenfold in Denmark in October 2023, the next country is now suffering from the supposed childhood disease. As the United Kingdom’s health authority, UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency), reports, almost 2,800 people in the largest part of the UK alone fell ill with whooping cough between the beginning of the year and the end of March – more than three times as many as in the whole of last year. Five babies died from the disease in the first quarter of 2024.
According to experts, the reason for the sharp increase is, among other things, that there has not been a major outbreak of the cyclical disease since 2016. In addition, immunity in the population fell during the pandemic. The vaccination rate has also declined. Newborns and infants are particularly at risk of life-threatening complications, according to the UKHSA. It is therefore important that pregnant women and babies receive their vaccinations at the right time, said UKHSA epidemiologist Gayatri Amirthalingam, according to the statement.
Whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. It is highly contagious and is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. The disease often begins with mild cold symptoms, which are followed by violent, spasmodic coughing attacks after one to two weeks.
“If you’re really unlucky, the illness lasts up to three months,” says Dalby. This is also why the disease is called the “100-day cough” disease in many countries.
A protracted, dry cough is typical. There are spasmodic coughs that occur in fits and starts, which often end with the typical gasping inhalation of air. The numerous coughing attacks can be very distressing and for many sufferers they occur more often at night than during the day. “The coughing attacks often lead to choking up of thick mucus and subsequent vomiting. Those affected suffer from loss of appetite and sleeplessness,” emphasizes the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA). The final phase of the disease usually lasts three to four weeks. The coughing attacks become less and less frequent and the bronchi gradually calm down.
The disease is usually not fatal in adults. However, it can lead to restrictions in everyday life over a longer period of time. Whooping cough is dangerous for young infants because an infection can affect breathing until they can no longer breathe. “Whooping cough is not dangerous for adults with normal immune systems, but it can be very unpleasant,” says Tine Dalby, senior researcher in infectious epidemiology at the Danish Health Service Center Statens Serum Institut.
There is a vaccine against whooping cough. The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) recommends:
Travelers planning a holiday in Great Britain should find out about their current vaccination status against whooping cough in good time.
The doctor’s office usually prescribes an antibiotic. Especially if the course is severe. The sooner the medication is taken, the better. The antibiotic can help to prevent a large part of the symptoms or reduce the intensity of the coughing attacks. In the case of severe and painful coughing attacks, antibiotics cannot slow down whooping cough, but they can reduce the duration of infection.
During coughing fits, those affected – both infants and adults – should sit as upright as possible and bend their head forward. Since whooping cough is a serious and dangerous infectious disease, reporting is mandatory in Germany.