Warning issued to NI parents amid rise in 'highly contagious' infection
PHA advising pregnant women and parents to book whooping cough vaccine due to significant rise in cases.
- Bilawal Riaz
- 1 min read
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging pregnant women and parents of young children to book an appointment for the whooping cough vaccine due to a significant rise in cases in Northern Ireland. As of now, there have been 72 confirmed cases of whooping cough this year compared to only two between 2021 and 2023/2024. Louise Flanagan, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, says that the vaccine can prevent the illness which is highly contagious and can make babies and young children very ill, even potentially fatal for some. Pregnant women are advised to get vaccinated between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy while young children are recommended to receive their first vaccine at two months old as part of the childhood vaccination programme. The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to a common cold, with more severe symptoms appearing after about a week.