The whooping cough (or pertussis) vaccine offers protection against the serious respiratory illness. It is administered in a series of doses throughout childhood and adolescence, with boosters available for adults. Pregnant women are strongly recommended to get vaccinated to protect their newborns.
The whooping cough (or pertussis) vaccine offers protection against the serious respiratory illness. It is administered in a series of doses throughout childhood and adolescence, with boosters available for adults. Pregnant women are strongly recommended to get vaccinated to protect their newborns.
Tairāwhiti has recorded 46 cases of whooping cough this year as New Zealand experiences an epidemic of the contagious respiratory infection.
Health NZ declared an epidemic in late November after a sustained increase in cases.
The latest weekly update, issued on July 18 by New Zealand Institute for Public Healthand Forensic Science (PHF Science), formerly ESR, said there had been 1640 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, nationwide this year.
That comprised 236 cases in Canterbury, 155 in Bay of Plenty (Tauranga), 144 in Southern (Otago and Southland), 137 in Capital Coast and Hutt Valley, 127 in Northland, 109 in Lakes (Rotorua), 108 in Counties-Manukau, 109 in Lakes (Rotorua), 91 in Mid Central (Manawatū), 88 in Hawke’s Bay, 88 in Nelson-Marlborough, 87 in Waikato, 74 in Waitematā, 49 in Taranaki, 47 in Auckland, 25 in West Coast, 13 in Whanganui, 8 in Wairarapa, 8 in South Canterbury and 46 in Tairāwhiti.
In Tairāwhiti, only 10 of the 46 patients were aged over 24, while 20 were aged up to 4.
Three Tairāwhiti patients, all Maori, were hospitalised. Two were aged up to 3 months, and the other was between 5 and 14.
Health NZ said infants under 12 months had the highest risk of severe illness and death, particularly those under 3 months whose mothers had not been vaccinated during pregnancy and those under 12 months who had not received three vaccine doses.
Over half of infant cases were hospitalised, with hospitalisation and mortality rates higher among Māori and Pasifika infants.
During the 2017-19 epidemic, Māori infants were hospitalised at more than twice the rate of infants of New Zealand European or other ethnicities, and Pasifika infants at more than four times the rate, Health NZ said.
