Whooping cough spreads in Europe; get vaccinated.
Health authorities in European countries have called for vigilance and vaccination after the spread
of cases of whooping cough spreads in europe, caused by bacteria that cause infections that can be severe in the respiratory system. Scientists believe that this increase in cases of whooping cough
spreads in europe, as with other germs, to the cessation of preventive measures against the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Above 32,000 cases of whooping cough were recorded in 30 European countries in the starting
three months of 2024, a number that is more higher than in the whole of 2023
(more than 25,000 cases).
Whooping cough cases are witnessing a noticeable spread, especially in Europe, which prompted
health authorities and scientists to call for vigilance and vaccination, after this disease caused by
bacteria that cause infections that may be severe in the respiratory system had been forgotten .
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough (or pertussis) is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which causes
is a highly contagious and long-lasting respiratory infection. Frequent and prolonged coughing fits are main symptom of the disease.
The infection is transmitted very easily through the air, and the disease is transmitted from one person
to another by inhaling infected droplets, i.e. spray emitted by the patient, and this happens within the family or in places where a number of people gather.
Each patient infects an average of about 15 other people. The incubation period lasts on average 9 to 10 days, after which the clinical symptoms of the disease begin with a catarrhal phase followed by paroxysmal coughing, and end with persistent coughing and wheezing.
Whooping cough can be dangerous for infants, as the severe form may be accompanied by shortness of breath and deterioration of one or more organs.
Vulnerable people (chronic respiratory patients, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women) are at greater risk.
Whooping cough rarely causes death, but it can occur, especially among unvaccinated infants.
How much are the injuries increasing?
Before the Covid-19 pandemic , the bacteria caused epidemic peaks approximately every three to five years. Pertussis has resurfaced since the end of 2023 in several countries, in Europe and on the other
side of the Atlantic. Epidemic peaks can last several months.
More than 32,000 cases of whooping cough were recorded in 30 European countries in the first three months of 2024, a figure that is already much higher than in the whole of 2023 (more than 25,000 cases), according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Large epidemic peaks were reported in Croatia, Denmark and the United Kingdom, and large increases
in cases in Belgium, Spain and Germany.
In France, the number of cases rose from 495 in the whole of 2023 to more than 5,800 in the first five months of 2024, according to the National Reference Center for Whooping Cough at the Pasteur Institute.
The director of the National Research Center, Sylvain Brice, told Agence France-Presse that it was a “strong recovery” in the number of infections, noting that “France has not seen a similar volume of cases for at least 20 years.”
He noted that “this phase of the epidemic is still escalating,” expecting a significant increase in the number of infections during the Paris Olympics.
What are the causes?
Scientists believe that this increase in infections is due, as with other germs, to the cessation of
preventive measures against the Covid pandemic.
“We were expecting a sharp rise in whooping cough, a recurrent disease, knowing that the last peak
in France dates back to 2018. The Covid phase delayed the return of whooping cough, and now it is coming back with force,” said the specialist from the Pasteur Institute.
Although a rebound in infections was expected in 2021-22, health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to reducing transmission.
The current increase is also likely linked, according to this expert, to a decrease in herd immunity since
the recent episodes of the infection outbreak.
Other scientists also believe that one of the reasons may also be the low level of vaccination against whooping cough in some population groups during the Covid pandemic.
What about vaccination?
Vaccination is the best form of protection. Those most at risk are infants under two months of age
who cannot yet be immunized because they are too young, and adolescents and adults who have
lost the protection provided by vaccines, often because boosters are not available, or because of
illness.
Although the number of cases of whooping cough has decreased significantly since the vaccine was introduced, the vaccination, like the disease, does not provide lifelong protection against infection.
Experts stress that vaccinating pregnant women is crucial to protecting their future children. Since
the vaccine does not fully protect against transmission, it is possible for a person to be a carrier of
the bacteria, without showing symptoms, and to transmit the disease subsequently. Hence the need
to be vigilant when around young children.Â
What is the treatment?
After whooping cough is diagnosed, sometimes by PCR testing, “treatment of pertussis aims to
eradicate the pertussis bacterium and consists of giving antibiotics as early as possible,” according
to the World Health Organization, particularly macrolide antibiotics.Â
This aims to quickly reduce the chances of transmitting the infection, and enable the patient to return
to the community a few days after treatment.
Hospitalization is strongly recommended for infants between 0 and 3 months of age, especially
for cardiac and respiratory monitoring.
Antibiotic resistance should be noted, although it is still rare.
“We are beginning to see strains resistant to macrolides, which can complicate patient care, with sometimes serious consequences for newborns,” said expert Sylvain Brice.
