Australia is grappling with a severe outbreak of whooping cough, with Queensland emerging as the epicentre. In the first few months of 2025 alone, the state has recorded a staggering 2,384 cases, marking a nearly three-and-a-half-fold increase compared to the annual average from 2020 to 2024.
The resurgence of this highly contagious respiratory infection follows a troubling pattern that began in 2024, when Queensland registered 15,012 infections more than the combined total for the previous 11 years. This sharp rise has raised significant concern among health professionals, particularly because the disease poses a severe threat to young children, with one child death reported last year.
Medical experts have linked the dramatic rise in cases to declining vaccination rates and reduced adherence to basic hygiene practices, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, routine immunisations were deprioritised or delayed, leaving many particularly children vulnerable to preventable diseases like whooping cough.
Infectious disease specialists have highlighted the seriousness of the current situation. They stress that whooping cough is much more dangerous in individuals who have not been vaccinated. Immunisation coverage for one-year-old children in Queensland has dropped to 90.8 per cent in 2024, down from 94.4 per cent in 2018. Similarly, vaccination rates among pregnant women have declined from approximately 77 per cent in 2020 to around 70 per cent in 2023.
This decline is alarming because pregnant women play a key role in protecting newborns from whooping cough. Vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to reduce the risk of babies contracting the disease by up to 75 per cent. The infection can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, brain damage, and even death particularly in infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated.
Experts in epidemiology explain that whooping cough outbreaks tend to occur in cycles, typically every three to five years. The current outbreak, which was expected around 2020 to 2022, appears to have been delayed due to the widespread restrictions and reduced transmission of respiratory infections during the COVID-19 years.
While weekly infection rates have declined somewhat now ranging between 50 to 80 new cases over the past month the disease continues to circulate widely within the community. Public health authorities warn that without improved immunisation efforts, the situation could worsen.
Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent whooping cough. The vaccine is offered for free through the National Immunisation Program for children at two, four, six, and 18 months of age, and again for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19. Pregnant women are also eligible for free vaccination, which not only protects them but also provides critical immunity to their unborn babies.
Health officials are urging people to take action, particularly families with young children and expectant mothers. Booster shots are recommended every ten years to maintain immunity, especially for adults who are in close contact with babies or who work in healthcare and childcare settings.
As Queensland continues to confront this outbreak, the message from medical professionals is clear: renewed focus on vaccination and personal hygiene is essential to stem the tide of infection and protect the most vulnerable members of the community.
