Whooping cough: five babies in England die after diagnosis, say officials

Fears of biggest UK outbreak in 20 years as 2,793 cases reported to end of March

The UK may be experiencing its biggest outbreak of whooping cough in two decades, with five infant deaths reported in England between January and March.

According to the latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday, cases of whooping cough continue to increase, with 1,319 confirmed in March. This brings the total number of confirmed cases during the first quarter of 2024 to 2,793 - although because mild cases are easily confused with other respiratory illnesses in the early stages when the infection can be tested for, the true number of cases is likely to be much higher.