Infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy said a gradual rise in cases,particularly in children,since September had been driven by people mixing during summer holiday events,the return to school and lowered immunity due to a lack of exposure to the infection during the pandemic.
“There’s been a lot of transmission among primary school-aged kids because they’ve gone to school with a cough,and they’ve spread it. It’s a really strong spreader,it’s very transmissible.
“For every one child infected,more than 10 can develop a secondary infection. We’re due an outbreak,and we’re due a moderately big one.”
The state recorded a rate of 47 whooping cough notifications per 100,000 people to March 28,up from a rate of 11 cases per 100,000 people for all of 2023. This was compared to rates of 0.5 notifications per 100,000 people in 2021,and one case recorded per 100,000 people in 2022.
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The biggest increase in cases was detected among young people aged five to 14 in the past month,when the rate nearly doubled from about 12 cases,to roughly 23 notifications,per 100,000 children.
Whooping cough,or pertussis,is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by a bacterial infection. The infection causes a long coughing illness which can be life-threatening for babies.