Whooping cough cases are rising in Hawke’s Bay, with the risk of an outbreak higher than it has been since 2018.

Bridget Wilson, Medical Officer of Health at Hawke’s Bay with Health New Zealand, said whooping cough was a respiratory infection which could bring a prolonged severe cough in the healthy and “quite serious” side effects for certain groups in the community.

“Especially for babies under 12 months, they’re quite high-risk of serious infection and hospitalisation if they get whooping cough,” Wilson said.

“For most adults and other people, it’s a really bothersome illness.”

Wilson said 48 cases of whooping cough were recorded in September in Hawke’s Bay, with just 21 others across the rest of 2024.

“September was a particularly busy month for us.”

The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) has recorded 561 whooping cough cases nationally since January 1, 2024.

According to Health New Zealand, an epidemic of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, typically occurs every three to five years, with the last national outbreak beginning in late 2017 and continuing through 2018.

The current pertussis case notification rate was 3.4/100,000; equal to the national outbreak threshold identified by ESR in 2017 from historical data, indicating a national outbreak is likely to occur.

ESR’s assessment is that the overall risk of a national pertussis outbreak is high.

A graph of the number of whooping cough or pertussis cases by month in New Zealand from January 2017 to the end of September 2024. Photo / ESR

New Zealand does see whooping cough outbreaks every three to five years on average, but thanks to the Covid-19 restrictions the country had a quiet period - until now. Wilson said what we’re seeing now with whooping cough is due to the population’s immunisation coverage being low and immunity has dropped to the point that the country is now reasonably at high-risk of coming into one of those high outbreak periods.

However, Wilson believes that a combination of common-sense steps and preventative care will help keep whooping cough numbers low and fight hospitalisation for the infected.

“If you’re unwell, don’t go to work or school and get in touch with your GP or hauora provider, but immunisation is really the best way to protect the community.

“I think probably it’s just a good reminder, especially for parents with kids, to actually check they’re up to date with their immunisations.

“Not just for whooping cough, although it is a timely reminder, but a lot of our childhood vaccinations are quite low at the moment and that leaves tamariki really vulnerable to things like measles or mumps or other illnesses that can be really easily and effectively prevented with vaccinations.

“I think that if there’s one message for people, it is really around making sure they are immunised.”

A Health Hawke’s Bay spokesman said the best way to prevent the chances or decrease risk of contracting whopping cough was getting vaccinated, avoiding contact with infected persons, and washing hands regularly.

Any person awaiting a pertussis test result should stay at home and away from work, school, early childhood services, or other institutions while they await their test results.