Death fears for unvaccinated Northland babies in whooping cough epidemic

Free whooping cough vaccinations are available at different ages. Photo / Thinkstock

A Northland pediatrician fears infants in the region will die from whooping cough unless more pregnant women and young babies are immunised on time.

A national epidemic of whooping cough, also called pertussis, was declared on November 22. The disease is highly contagious and includes a severe cough, often characterised by a whoop sound, which can cause vomiting and gasping for air.

It is particularly dangerous for newborn babies and older adults, with three Kiwi babies dying from whooping cough last year.

Northland pediatrician Dr Ailsa Tuck said for every whooping cough death, there are a lot of babies who needed to spend a long time in hospital.

In Northland, monthly case numbers have been steadily rising since August, including 21 cases recorded in the first three weeks of November, three times more than for all of 2023.

So far, six cases in Te Tai Tokerau this year needed hospital care, with four of these being children aged under-1.

Tuck said testing might only be done in severe cases, so the actual numbers in the community could be far higher.

The epidemic is a timely reminder of the need for vaccinations, especially for pregnant women to protect their newborn babies, she said.

“We know that we have higher numbers of pertussis. We want hapū māmā to get vaccinated - it’s too late once pēpē are born.”

Tuck said while vaccination won’t necessarily stop babies from getting whooping cough, it is very effective in stopping them dying from the disease.

Out of 20 districts, Northland has either the lowest or second lowest rate of immunisation for every age milestone recorded by Health NZ Te Whatu Ora, as of June 2024.

Rates of pregnant women getting vaccinated in Te Tai Tokerau are also low, Tuck said.

On top of this, Northland also has other factors that can make babies more unwell, such as greater exposure to tobacco smoke and more problems with overcrowding or damp homes, she said.

“We have higher rates of tobacco exposure, lower immunisation, housing insecurity, and lots of families who live a long way from healthcare. All of these things can make it more complex.

“What can whānau have control over? Immunisation is something that we can control and that’s probably the thing that we can really highlight.”

Tuck said whooping cough vaccines are free for pregnancies past 16 weeks, babies aged 6 weeks, 3 months and 5 months, children aged 4 and 11, and adults aged 45 and 65.

To help make it easy for whānau, vaccinations are available from pharmacies, hauora Māori health providers and general practices, she said.

On top of immunisation, good hygiene lessons taught during Covid can help stop whooping cough spread. This includes hand washing, covering your face if you’re sick and not going into public places when you’re coughing, she said.

Declaring a whooping cough epidemic not only helps get the message out to whānau, it also means hospitals and health practices can get systems in place for isolation and treatment of patients, Tuck said.

New Zealand’s last whooping cough epidemic was 2017-18.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.