Update of current whooping cough figures: May 1, 2024
The weekly number of reports of people with whooping cough to the RIVM is still very high. Just like the first two weeks of April, about 1,800 people with whooping cough were reported in the past two weeks, of which about 50 were babies. These numbers are very high compared to all years since the introduction of the reporting obligation in 1975. The majority of these people became ill before April. In 2024, a total of 7,187 people were reported with whooping cough up to April 29, of which 375 were babies1. More than half of babies aged 0-5 months with whooping cough were admitted to hospital. For babies aged 6-11 months this was just over a quarter.
Of reported infants aged 0-2 months with known vaccination status, 90% were not protected by maternal vaccination during pregnancy. Some of the babies born to vaccinated mothers were born prematurely or the vaccination was given too close to birth. Vaccination during pregnancy provides high protection against whooping cough infection in babies aged 0-2 months (90-95%). Of the reported infants aged 3-11 months with a known vaccination status, 88% were not (completely vaccinated for their age).
In the second half of April, the RIVM received a report of the death of someone over 70 years old with whooping cough. Earlier this year, the deaths of four babies and one person over 80 years old were reported to the RIVM.
Figures from the Nivel Healthcare Registries First Line show that the number of patients visiting the GP with whooping cough complaints is high again after a two-week decline, especially in young children aged 0-4 years.
Source: RIVM
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