Whooping cough epidemic sweeps Bay of Plenty

ROTORUA - A lack of immunisation has seen whooping cough spiral out of control in the Bay of Plenty in the past nine months.

This year there have been 82 confirmed cases in the region.

The total was in contrast to six cases of the disease in the region all of last year, the Bay of Plenty medical officer of health, Dr Phil Shoemack, said yesterday.

He said the figures represented only those cases which had been notified and confirmed.

Dr Shoemack said the epidemic had spread from the South Island, where the disease broke out 12 months ago.

Although the outbreak had probably passed its peak, cases were still being reported almost daily.

The soaring level of whooping cough was "proof we haven't been able to reach and maintain a high enough level of immunisation," Dr Shoemack said.

Anecdotal evidence from GPs was that more parents were deciding not to have their babies vaccinated, which Dr Shoemack said was worrying.

He would talk to midwives to see if they could help to raise awareness of the importance of immunising young babies.

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a bacterial illness that causes bouts of severe coughing characterised by a whoop at the beginning of the cough, which may end in vomiting or breathing problems.

Infants needed to be immunised with four doses of vaccine to prevent the highly infectious illness.

- NZPA