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28/09/2012
Pregnant Women To Be Offered Whooping Cough Vaccine
A new whooping cough vaccine is to be offered to pregnant women across the UK, in an effort to protect babies from an escalating outbreak of the disease.
It is known that very young babies are at the greatest risk of serious complications. Ten have died in the UK so far this year.
The injection, available from Monday, should boost a mother's defences, which are then passed onto the baby.
Health officials say there are no safety concerns about the vaccine.
There are surges in whooping cough cases every three to four years and the latest outbreak started at the end of 2011. It is already the worst for more than a decade.
Prof David Salisbury, the director of immunisation at the Department of Health, said: "We're boosting the mother to protect the baby. We can't protect babies until they are eight weeks, but their mothers can."
(H)
It is known that very young babies are at the greatest risk of serious complications. Ten have died in the UK so far this year.
The injection, available from Monday, should boost a mother's defences, which are then passed onto the baby.
Health officials say there are no safety concerns about the vaccine.
There are surges in whooping cough cases every three to four years and the latest outbreak started at the end of 2011. It is already the worst for more than a decade.
Prof David Salisbury, the director of immunisation at the Department of Health, said: "We're boosting the mother to protect the baby. We can't protect babies until they are eight weeks, but their mothers can."
(H)
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Pregnant women are being encouraged to take up the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine, after new figures revealed the disease remains at increased levels in England. Published today, the data for the year to March 2015, shows whooping cough vaccine coverage in pregnant women averaged 56.4% in England.
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Whooping Cough Cases 'High'
Figures published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that cases of whooping cough have continued at high levels. In November there was 1,080 confirmed cases reported for England and Wales, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 8,819. No deaths were reported in November.
Whooping Cough Cases 'High'
Figures published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that cases of whooping cough have continued at high levels. In November there was 1,080 confirmed cases reported for England and Wales, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 8,819. No deaths were reported in November.
01 February 2013
January Sees Further Fall In Whooping Cough Cases
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January Sees Further Fall In Whooping Cough Cases
Health Protection Agency figures for England and Wales show that whooping cough cases have slowed over the last two months. It follows the largest outbreak for 20 years. In December 832 cases were recorded, almost half the total from October. During the outbreak 14 babies died, the last death coming in December.
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Whooping cough 'endemic' among school children
Nearly 40% of school age children in the UK who visit their doctor with a persistent cough have evidence of whooping cough infection, even though they have been fully immunised, a study has claimed.
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27 July 2012
Whooping Cough Outbreak Spreading To Infants
An outbreak of whooping cough across England and Wales has spread to very young babies who are most at risk of severe complications and death, the Health Protection Agency has warned. There were another 675 cases in June bringing the total to 2,466 for 2012 so far. This compares to just 311 cases at this stage last year.
Whooping Cough Outbreak Spreading To Infants
An outbreak of whooping cough across England and Wales has spread to very young babies who are most at risk of severe complications and death, the Health Protection Agency has warned. There were another 675 cases in June bringing the total to 2,466 for 2012 so far. This compares to just 311 cases at this stage last year.
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