Warning to Brits heading to holiday hotspot as highly contagious ‘100-day cough’ leaves 2 dead and over 50 infected
COUNTRIES across Europe are battling a surge of highly contagious whooping cough cases, among them a popular holiday spot for Brits.
The illness - dubbed the '100 day cough' - has resulted in two deaths in Greece, according to data from its National Public Health Organization (EODY).
Fifty-four whooping cough cases have been recorded so far this year, with 32 of them in children and teens and 11 affecting babies under the age of one, the newspaper Ekathethimerini reported.
One adult with underlying health conditions succumbed to the infection, as did a newborn.
WHOOPING COUGH
Whooping cough is a super contagious bacterial infection affecting the lungs and breathing tubes that can cause serious complications in some - the NHS recommends that babies and children be vaccinated against it, as well as pregnant mums.
Its first symptoms resemble a cold, before progressing to coughing bouts that can leave sufferers winded and red-faced.
They might make a "whoop" sound as they gasp for breath between coughs, hence the name whooping cough.
Some may have the cough for several weeks or months.
In response to rising whooping cough cases in Greece, Health Minister Eirini Agapidaki urged people to get vaccinated against the illness.
Deaths have also been reported in other European countries.
Most read in Health
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), almost all of them have been in babies younger than three months old.
In the UK, cases are higher than usual in 2024. More than 2,000 cases have been recorded so far, double that of 2023 alone.
DEATHS ACROSS EUROPE
The EDC flagged rising whooping cough case numbers in a recent Communicable Disease Threats Report, spanning from Croatia to Norway, the Netherlands and Spain.
"Pertussis (as whooping cough is also known) is an endemic disease worldwide, even in the presence of a programme with high vaccination coverage, with peaks in disease spread every three to five years," the ECDC explained.
"The current increase is potentially linked to lower circulation during the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with sub-optimal vaccination uptake in certain groups."
"Infants and young children who are too young to be fully vaccinated have also been affected, including several deaths."
Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but for very young infants, it can be particularly serious.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam
Czechia reported a record-breaking amount of cases this year, the largest in the past 60 years.
It reported 3,101 pertussis cases between January and March 17 2024, including one death.
Meanwhile, Croatia reported 6,261 cases of pertussis from January 2023 to March 15 this year.
Denmark recorded 822 whooping cough cases up until March this year, Norway 707 and the Netherlands 1,749.
As for Spain, it reported 5,242 cases as of March this year.
Health officials last month raised concerns over a rise in whooping cough infections in England.
There were 555 cases confirmed in January alone and 913 in February, data as of April 4 shows.
Parents have been urged to check that their child is protected, as vaccine rates among children in England have fallen.
Parents can also help protect their children by ensuring they receive their vaccines at the right time or catching up as soon as possible if they have missed any
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam
Whooping cough protection is covered in the six-in-one jab when babies are eight, 12 and 16 weeks old.
The number of two-year-olds who completed their six-in-one vaccinations as of September 2023 was 92.9 per cent, compared with 96.3 per cent in March 2014.
The UK Health Security Agency also reminded mums-to-be to get the jab so their babies are protected at birth.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, the UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said: "Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but for very young infants, it can be particularly serious.
"Vaccinating pregnant women is highly effective in protecting babies from birth until they can receive their own vaccines.
Read More on The US Sun
"Parents can also help protect their children by ensuring they receive their vaccines at the right time or catching up as soon as possible if they have missed any.
"If you're unsure, please check your child's red book or get in touch with your GP surgery."
Symptoms of whooping cough to look out for
WHOOPING cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes.
The first signs of the condition tend to be similar to a cold - such as a runny nose, a sore throat, red and watery eyes, and a slightly raised temperature.
After about a week, other signs start to appear. These include:
- Coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
- "Whoop" sounds as you gasp for breath between coughs
- Difficulty breathing after a coughing bout
- Turning blue or grey (children)
- Becoming very red in the face (adults)
- Bringing up thick mucus, which can make you vomit
- Bleeding under the skin or in the eyes
- Feeling very tired after coughing
The cough may last several weeks or months.
Babies under six months have an increased risk of problems such as dehydration, breathing problems, pneumonia and seizures.
Older children and adults may experience sore ribs, hernia, middle ear infections, and urinary incontinence.
Source: NHS