Wales sees massive spike in dangerous 100-day cough that leaves people 'feeling awful'
Cases of whooping cough are at their highest levels for nearly a decade
Whooping cough is on the rise again after March saw the highest rate of the potentially ?dangerous? disease for ten years, Public Health Wales warned. Statistics revealed there were more cases in Wales in one week of March 2024 than the whole of 2021 and 2022 combined.
Now pregnant women and those with young children are being urged to get a vaccine as the disease, also known as the 100-day cough, continues to spread in the community. Public Health Wales figures show there were 55 reported cases of whooping cough in 2021, 55 in 2022, and 199 in 2023.
But in the four weeks from March 4 there were 315 cases. This included 122 cases in a single week, starting March 11, - more than 2021 and 2022 combined. The actual numbers are likely far higher as many cases go unreported.
Regional figures aren?t available for 2024, but North Wales, the area covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, had the joint highest number of whooping cough cases in Wales in 2021, the highest number in 2022, and the second highest number in 2023.
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https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/wales-sees-massive-spike-dangerous-29059914