The infectious disease whooping cough is on the rise in the European Union. Nearly 60,000 cases were reported between 2023 and April 2024. That is ten times more than in 2022 and 2021. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported this on Wednesday.
Whooping cough is an acute bacterial infectious disease of the respiratory tract that is highly contagious. By coughing, sneezing and talking, the bacteria become airborne and you can become infected. In children and adults it causes troublesome coughing fits that last for weeks, but it can also cause an ear infection.
Infants and newborns can become very ill from whooping cough and the symptoms are sometimes different, such as poor feeding, difficulty breathing and turning blue. They are at the greatest risk of being admitted to hospital and they are also more likely to die prematurely from whooping cough.
The rise of the disease may be due to the low vaccination rate and lower immunity, possibly caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health, emphasizes that we must remain vigilant against this disease. “Vaccination is our most important tool to save lives and prevent the disease from spreading,” Kyriakides said.
According to her, it is advisable that health authorities in every European country focus even more on vaccinating the population. Adults should be vaccinated every ten years. The vaccine is free and according to the ECDC it is also safe and effective.
At the end of April it became known that infectious diseases such as measles and whooping cough were also on the rise in Flanders. According to figures from the Flemish Healthcare Department, there were 8,009 cases of a notifiable disease last year. In 2022 there were almost 5,000 cases.
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