A baby in the UK has died from whooping cough, the first such death this year. The infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways.
The death occurred as vaccination rates among children and pregnant women in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Whooping cough can be fatal for babies, who are at the highest risk of severe illness or death.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA deputy director, said: “Sadly, with a further infant death in the second quarter of 2025, we are again reminded how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who have so tragically lost their baby.”
Almost one in five children starting primary school in England are not fully protected against diseases including whooping cough, polio, tetanus and diphtheria. Only 83.7% of five-year-olds have received both doses of the MMR vaccine, while uptake of the four-in-one preschool booster stands at 81.4%.
Vaccine rates among pregnant women for whooping cough peaked at 76% in 2016 but fell to 59% by March last year, recovering to 73% after deaths last year. From next year, the NHS will begin vaccinating all babies against chickenpox by combining it with the MMR vaccine.
