A concerning surge of the deadly whooping cough is gripping Queensland after the state recorded thousands of cases in the first months of 2025.
There have been 2,384 whooping cough, or pertussis, cases in Queensland this year according to Queensland Health data, which is nearly three-and-a-half times the 2020-24 average.
There were 15,012 whooping cough infections in Queensland in 2024 which was more than what was recorded in the previous 11 years combined.
Doctors have put the worrying figures down to a lack of immunisation since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The disease is particularly dangerous for young children and one child was killed by the infection last year in Queensland.
Mater Hospital Brisbane director of infectious diseases Professor Paul Griffin said infection rates during the past 12 months were very worrying.
‘It is important people appreciate that the numbers are very high and higher than we’d normally see,’ Professor Griffin said.
‘Then if we add to that, a reduction in vaccination rates, that’s certainly going to be a factor, and going to be contributing to the significance of those cases as well.
Young Children are most at risk from the deadly whopping cough disease
Infectious diseases Professor Paul Griffin said whopping cough rates were worrying
‘We know it’s far worse in people who aren’t vaccinated.’
In 2024 90.8 per cent of Queensland one-year-olds were vaccinated against the disease which was down from 94.4 per cent at the end of 2018, according to Queensland Health.
Vaccination rates among pregnant women in Queensland have also dropped, from around 77 per cent in 2020 to around 70 per cent in 2023.
Whooping cough can lead to complications like pneumonia, brain damage, and even death.
University of South Australia biostatistics and epidemiology Professor Adrian Esterman said whooping cough outbreaks generally occurred every three to five years in Australia.
He said the outbreak, which was initially expected around 2020-22, had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Professor Esterman called for authorities to promote vaccination while acting chief health officer Catherine McDougall said vaccination against the contagious respiratory infection was essential for babies and young kids.
‘Vaccines save lives and we know that vaccinating pregnant women against whooping cough reduces the risk of their babies contracting the infection by 75 per cent,’ Dr McDougall said.
‘That’s why it’s especially crucial for pregnant women to be vaccinated to protect themselves and their unborn babies.
‘While the number of cases per week has declined since then to between 50-80 cases per week over the last four weeks, it’s clear that whooping cough is continuing to circulate in the Queensland community, which is why it’s critical that people get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones.’
The whooping cough vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Program during pregnancy and for children aged two, four, six, and 18 months, as well as youths aged between 12 and 19.
Boosters are recommended 10 years after vaccinations.
