Whooping cough claims five young lives amid rising UK epidemic

At least five children have died this year in England and Wales due to whooping cough. According to the British service "Daily Mail", primary care physicians are once again calling on patients to wear masks during visits due to a nationwide disease epidemic.

This year in England and Wales, five children have already died. The cause was whooping cough, an acute infectious respiratory disease. It is characterized by severe paroxysmal coughing. It is especially dangerous for infants and people with weakened immune systems.

There have been almost 3,000 confirmed cases so far and concerned officials are urging eligible patients, such as pregnant women, to get the vaccine - reports Daily Mail UK.

Many doctors' offices ask patients to wear masks during visits, and some clinics advise patients to wait outside upon arrival.

Local clinics decide whether to wear masks based on the infection rates in their area. For instance, in the hospital in Uxbridge, Middlesex, patients were told, "If you have a face-to-face visit, doctors ask you to put a mask on it."

The West Hampstead Medical Centre in northwest London has emailed all its patients, warning of a "local upsurge in measles and whooping cough". As the British newspaper "The Telegraph" reported, parents should notify the reception of their arrival and then "wait outside until called in".

The moves follow updated NHS England infection control guidance, issued earlier this year in the wake of a measles outbreak and increasing whooping cough cases - reports the "Daily Mail".

The British Health Security Agency confirmed that five children – all under the age of three months, died as a result of infection in the first months of the year.

According to "Daily Mail", this is the highest number of deaths caused by whooping cough in a decade. Experts fear there will be more, as cases may reach the highest level in 40 years.

Experts say the surge in cases may be due to decreasing uptake of the vaccine and circulation of the disease being suppressed during Covid lockdowns - reports "Daily Mail".

The National Health Service recommends vaccinating all pregnant women against whooping cough between the 16th and 32nd week. This will protect the child in the first months of its life before it can be vaccinated.