In Czechia – where there is a reported shortage of whooping cough vaccines – the number of cases is at its highest level in 60 years, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Strong increases have also been recorded in Denmark, Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom in recent months.
“Most of the increase over the last two years is due to a return to pre-Covid levels,” said Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. That’s with the exception of this year, he said, “where infections have increased dramatically and are on track to exceed any annual total we’ve seen in more than three decades.”
To put things into perspective: in 2023, a total of 853 cases were recorded in England. In February this year alone, there were 913 cases, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The current European hotspot is Croatia, which reported 6,261 cases in the first two and a half months of this year.
A report from the British Medical Journal says part of the reason for the spread is falling vaccination rates.
In most European countries, babies receive their first two doses of the combined pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus vaccine between two and 12 months of age, with another dose before age 2 and a final dose between 3 and 7 years.
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