'Stay at home' warning as cases of '100 day cough' soar

Government health chiefs have issued a "stay at home" warning as cases of whooping cough soar in the UK.

The illness usually develops within five to ten days but can often be mistaken as the common cold due to its similarities. The key difference is that the coughing can last for weeks or months - which has led to its unofficial name of the '100-day cough'".

553 new whooping cough cases were confirmed in January alone, compared with 858 cases for the whole of 2023. Anyone diagnosed with the illness is advised to "stay at home and do not go into work, school or nursery until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or 3 weeks after symptoms start if they have not had antibiotics".

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UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance adds: "This helps to prevent the spread of infection, especially to vulnerable groups. However, vaccination remains the best protection for babies and children."

Data for January shows there were 22 infants aged under 3 months diagnosed with whooping cough. Babies of this age, who are too young to be fully vaccinated, are at greater risk of severe disease, including death.

For this reason, the UKHSA is "strongly encouraging" expectant mothers to take up the maternal vaccine. It adds: "Vaccination of pregnant women is 97% effective at preventing death in young infants from whooping cough".

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