Queenslander dies from whooping cough as case numbers reach unprecedented levels
A patient has died from the highly contagious whooping cough infection in Queensland as case numbers across the country reach an unprecedented level.
Queensland Health confirmed the death happened this year but would not provide any further details due to privacy reasons.
The state has recorded more than 13,000 cases of whooping cough this year, according to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System.
READ MORE: Action 'urgently needed' to address staggering number of First Nations women killed
Whooping cough is a respiratory illness caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. CDC
The figure is about 23 times higher than the 549 recorded this time last year.
Queensland Health has found that while cases rise, vaccination numbers are dropping.
Vaccination rates among pregnant women dropped to 70.7 per cent in 2023.
Rates dropped to 90.8 per cent in one-year-olds and to 89.7 per cent in two-year-olds last month.
"We know that pertussis activity tends to increase every three to five years, and we're seeing that trend now in Queensland," Queensland Health Communicable Diseases Branch Executive Director Dr Heidi Carroll said.
"Vaccination is the most effective way to control whooping cough and is an important step towards reducing the risk associated with whooping cough infection and keeping more people safe from the disease."
READ MORE: 'Disgrace to human race': Senator blows up at Hanson in fiery exchange
Case numbers are not only rising in Queensland but also right across Australia. 9News
Case numbers are not only rising in Queensland but also right across Australia.
The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System has recorded 47,900 cases across Australia this year which is a colossal jump from the 2400 cases last year.
It's our worst year since records began in 1991.
New South Wales is leading the country with 22,270 cases, followed by Queensland with 13,168 and Victoria with 9138.
Whooping cough is a bacterial respiratory infection that can affect anyone but is especially serious for babies under six months.
Authorities say vaccination is the most effective way to protect against the disease.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
