A spike in pertussis has exceeded doctors’ expectations, with some 3300 cases reported across all age groups since the start of 2024, compared with fewer than 2500 for all of last year.

In mid-January, infectious diseases paediatrician Professor Robert Booy predicted that cases would exceed 500 by the end of the month.

But more than 800 lab-confirmed cases were reported in both January and February, followed by more than 1200 cases in March, according to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

Children aged 10-14 accounted for a third of pertussis notifications, while about one in four cases were seen in under-10s.