Two people have died from whooping cough, health officials say, and there are concerns about the further spread of the disease because of low vaccination rates.
Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ announced the “tragic” deaths from the highly infectious disease today, saying it would not provide any further information out of respect to the families.
Clinical lead William Rainger said New Zealanders needed to be alert to whooping cough symptoms and make sure pregnant women, children and caregivers were immunised against the illness.
“While pertussis (whooping cough) notifications to public health remain very low, these fatalities indicate there is most likely undetected spread occurring within the community, and we are at risk of another outbreak,” he said.
Whooping cough, which is particularly dangerous for young babies, is spread by coughing and sneezing and infectious people can pass it on a week before their symptoms start.