Baby dies from whooping cough in Scotland amid urgent vaccination update as outbreak tops 5,000 cases

A baby in Scotland has died from whooping cough, Public Health Scotland has confirmed, as infection rates hit more than 5,000.

According to newly-released Public Health Scotland figures (PHS), there have been 5,270 laboratory-confirmed whooping cough cases in Scotland in 2024, up to July 15.

The Scottish health watchdog also confirmed there had been one reported death, between April and June, in an infant under one year of age who developed whooping cough.

Whooping cough – also known as pertussis – is a bacterial infection that causes long bouts of coughing, characterised by a strong indrawing of breath heard as a “whoop”.

The recent wave has far surpassed Scotland’s previous outbreaks, which tend to occur every three to five years, leading to fears vaccine hesitancy caused by online misinformation may be playing a part.

PHS said in a statement: “Prior to 2024, the last significant outbreak in Scotland occurred in 2012 and 2013, with 1,896 and 1,188 laboratory confirmed cases per year.”

Dr Nick Phin, director of public health science at PHS, said immunisation was “the most effective way to protect against whooping cough”.

“It can cause severe illness and death, particularly in young unimmunised children,” he said. “Babies under one year of age are most at risk.

“Getting immunised during pregnancy is the best way to protect your baby in the first few vulnerable weeks of their life. All pregnant women are eligible for the whooping cough vaccine from week 16 of their pregnancy.

“The ideal time to get it is between weeks 16 and 32. The whooping cough vaccine is recommended every time you’re pregnant, even if you’ve had the vaccine before.

“It is also extremely important that parents ensure their babies get their whooping cough vaccine, which is given at eight, 12 and 16 weeks as part of the six-in-one vaccine.”

The Royal College of GPs desribed it as “frustrating” to see cases of whooping cough “when there is a safe and effective vaccine available to prevent people from becoming unwell”. Whooping cough has claimed the lives of nine babies in England this year.

The outbreak comes against a backdrop of declining vaccination rates in Scotland, although vaccine uptake remains high.

In 2023, 95 per cent of Scottish children under 12 months old received the DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB vaccine - commonly known as the 'six-in-one vaccine' - which vaccinates against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said deaths in the very young or elderly “can be avoided”.

“Vaccinations are an effective form of protection, so we would urge all parents to check that their children's vaccinations are up-to-date, and if they're not, to make an appointment at their GP surgery as soon as possible,” she said.

“This outbreak and the spike in measles cases at the start of 2024 have brought to the fore the dangers of vaccine complacency and hesitancy, and the importance of community outreach in addressing concerns and highlighting the effectiveness and safety of vaccinations.”

Prof Hugh Pennington, of the University of Aberdeen, said the anti-vaccination movement traced its origins to the 1800s.

“There's always been a body of people who've been against vaccines, going way back to the smallpox vaccine days in the 19th century,” he said.

“There were some powerful pressure groups that made it their business to try and stop people being vaccinated. On the one hand, the smallpox vaccine was not risk free, but it was a lower risk than getting smallpox.

“So the anti vaxxers in those days had that argument that clearly, vaccinations is not without risk. But what they were ignoring, and what they still ignore, is that the overall benefit from a vaccine is far greater than not having one.”