Infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways
A baby in the UK has died from whooping cough, marking the first such death in the country this year.
The infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways. This death occurred as vaccination rates among children and pregnant women in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, can be fatal for babies, who are at the highest risk of severe illness or death. The child, thought to be under the age of one, was taken ill and died between March and June this year, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which is responsible for protecting the public from infectious diseases and other threats. It follows the death of a child from measles at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool last month and the deaths last year of 11 children in England after an outbreak of whooping cough.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, the UKHSA deputy director, said: “Sadly, with a further infant death in the second quarter of 2025, we are again reminded how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who have so tragically lost their baby.”
