There has been a surge of whooping cough cases in York, new figures reveal.
The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, affects the lungs and breathing tubes.
It spreads very easily and can sometimes cause serious problems, particularly in very young children.
The number of cases of whooping cough in England was higher in February than in the whole of 2023, according to new figures.
There were 913 laboratory-confirmed cases in England in February, up from 555 in January.
This is compared with the 858 reported cases in the whole of 2023.
In York, figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), show there were 57 cases of confirmed and suspected whooping cough in the City of York Council area between 1 October 2023 and 25 April 2024.
A report to the council’s health and wellbeing board says: “Primary vaccination uptake in children is around 91%, with the booster dose uptake at around 83%.
“Uptake for pertussis in pregnancy is around 82.5%. There are plans to work collaboratively with NHSE, Primary Care and maternity services to look at ways of improving uptake of vaccination in pregnancy.”
Initial symptoms of whooping cough are similar to a cold, but after about a week patients develop coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night.
Young babies may also make a distinctive “whoop” or have difficulty breathing after a bout of coughing.
The NHS recommends all pregnant women are vaccinated against whooping cough between 16 and 32 weeks.
Immunity from the jab passes through the placenta to protect newborn babies in their first weeks of life.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at the UKHSA, said: “Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but for very young infants it can be particularly serious.
“Getting the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy is a highly effective way to protect your baby in the first few months following birth.
“I encourage all pregnant women to get vaccinated, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks, but you should still get the vaccine if you are further along in your pregnancy.”
The York report adds: “We are also looking to prioritise uptake of the MMR vaccine, with a continuing high number of measles cases nationally (no confirmed cases in York so far this year).”