A baby in the UK has died from whooping cough, marking the first such death in the country this year. The infant's mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways.
The death occurred between March and June 2025, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It follows a child death from measles at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool last month and 11 deaths from whooping cough in England last year.
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.”
Vaccination rates among children and pregnant women have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years. Only 83.7% of five-year-olds have received both doses of the MMR vaccine, and uptake of the four-in-one preschool booster – protecting against polio, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria – stands at 81.4%. Both figures are well below the World Health Organization’s 95% threshold for herd immunity.
Vaccine uptake among pregnant women for whooping cough peaked at 76% in 2016 but fell to 59% by March last year. It has since recovered to 73%, still below the peak. “Ensuring women are vaccinated in pregnancy has never been more important,” said Dr Amirthalingam, urging expectant mothers to receive the vaccine between 20 and 32 weeks to protect their newborns.
