A heartbreaking reminder for UK parents: an infant has sadly passed away from whooping cough, as the mother hadn’t been vaccinated during pregnancy. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) highlights this first deadly case of 2025 as a wake-up call about vaccine importance. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs and airways, particularly dangerous for babies. Tragically, 11 children succumbed to it last year alone.
Why is this a pressing concern? Currently, only 72.6% of pregnant women are getting the crucial whooping cough jab, which is recommended at 20 to 32 weeks of pregnancy. Since its introduction in 2012, the vaccination aims to passively protect newborns in their early weeks, before their first vaccine at eight weeks old.
Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam of UKHSA stresses, “Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough.” She urges expecting mothers and young infants to receive their vaccines at the optimal times.
Worryingly, there’s a broader decline in vaccine uptake. Last year, none of England’s primary childhood vaccines hit the 95% uptake target, with measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) immunisations for five-year-olds at their lowest since 2010.
Let’s spread the word and protect our littlest ones! Vaccines save lives, and ensuring timely jabs could make all the difference. 🤱💉 #VaccinateToProtect #WhoopingCoughAwareness