Queensland Health communicable diseases branch executive director Heidi Carroll said the disease could be life threatening in babies.
“They cough so much that they can’t catch their breath. They then can’t get enough oxygen into their systems,” Dr Carroll said.
Well, that sucks :(
Whooping cough (aka. pertussis) is still on the standard schedule of vaccines. It’s rates of boosters between and after the scheduled vaccinations that have dropped.
There’s a surge in cases about every 5 years, so it’s not unexpected, but the current one is particularly bad for reasons that aren’t clear but probably include lower vaccine coverage.
Some reading here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-08/whooping-cough-surge-record-cases-2024-pertussis/104474394