Whooping cough claims baby’s life after unvaccinated pregnancy

A baby has died from whooping cough after the mother did not receive the vaccine during pregnancy, the UK’s first infant death from the infection this year.

The death occurred between January and June 2025, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), as vaccine uptake continues to fall among pregnant women and children.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and airways that causes severe coughing fits lasting weeks. It can lead to serious breathing problems and is especially dangerous for infants under six months.

Eleven babies died from the illness in 2024. Since 2013, 33 infants have died, with 27 of those deaths involving mothers who had not been vaccinated in pregnancy.

Current uptake of the vaccine among pregnant women is 72.6 per cent, below the 95 per cent recommended by health officials to protect communities.

The jab, introduced in 2012, provides antibodies that shield babies in their first weeks before they can be vaccinated at eight weeks old.

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director at UKHSA, said: “This is a reminder of how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies.

“Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks.”

The death comes as childhood vaccine coverage continues to slide across the UK.

None of the main vaccines in England reached the 95 per cent target last year, UKHSA data showed.

Among five-year-olds, uptake of the first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine was 91.9 per cent, the lowest since 2010–11.

For both doses, coverage dropped to 83.7 per cent, the lowest since 2009–10.

The World Health Organization advises that at least 95 per cent of children need vaccine protection to achieve herd immunity – the level at which enough people are immune to stop the disease spreading.

Falling MMR coverage was linked to a rise in measles cases earlier this year. In July, a child died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after contracting the virus.

The government said this week that all children in the UK will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine through the NHS from January 2026.

Health minister Stephen Kinnock told the BBC that vaccine hesitancy had grown since the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said new campaigns would explain “the benefits of getting vaccinated and the fact that this is 100 per cent safe” as the government sought to “win this battle against the conspiracy theorists.”