By Imogen Crispe
Parents are being urged to immunise their children on time against whooping cough, after a large scale outbreak this year.
There have been 322 reported cases this year – five times as many as last year.
Dr Cameron Grant, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Auckland, told 3 News this is an epidemic and late immunisation is endangering New Zealand children.
“A third of New Zealand children under one year of age are at five times increased chance of hospitalisation simply because they haven’t had their doses on time,” he says.
Infants need to be vaccinated at six weeks of age, then at three months and again at six months.
Children then need further vaccines at age four and 11.
“I don’t think people necessarily appreciate the absolute importance of getting the doses on time,” says Dr Grant.
He says immunisation does not completely stop people from catching whooping cough, but reduces the severity of the disease.
“If you do get it you’re not going to get nearly as sick.”
Dr Grant, who is a consultant paediatrician at Starship Children’s Hospital, says the disease spreads easily to children and adults.
“It tends to be spread out in the community as it is a very infectious disease. Every case causes 15 secondary cases.”
He says it is also a very dangerous disease, although no one in Auckland has died of the disease this year
“It still kills babies. If you get whooping cough under a year of age you have a six in 10 chance of ending up in hospital.”
Dr Grant says of those who end up in hospital, one in 10 end up in the intensive care unit, and of those one in six will die or suffer brain or lung damage.
Although it is less serious, adults can also catch whooping cough and spread it to children and babies.
Dr Grant says in adults the main symptom is a cough that goes on for longer than a usual cold or flu cough.
“If you’ve had it for two weeks or more, coughing in long bursts of coughing… sometimes feel like you’re going to vomit, or retching.”
He recommends adults along with children get immunised for whooping cough.
Babies can have similar symptoms to adults or worse.
“Some little babies can just stop breathing or become very unresponsive and sick,” Dr Grant says.
He advises sick people to stay away from babies and if they have a cough for two weeks or more, to see their GP.
He says whooping cough epidemics happen every four years and can last a while.
Since the outbreak began in August 2011, there have been 3400 cases of whooping cough nationwide.
3 News