Doctors urged to be alert with more than 3000 pertussis cases already reported this year
Professor Robert Booy warned GPs to watch for long-lasting paroxysmal coughs in their patients.
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.
