UK Offers Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccine to All Pregnant Women
The Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies announced that all pregnant women will be offered the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine due to concerns about a serious increase in prevalence of the disease in the UK which has resulted in nine infant deaths this year. The UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) stated that by August 2012, it had received reports of 4,691 cases of whooping cough so far this year. The total number of cases so far this year in the UK is now more than four times higher than the annual total number cases of 1,118 reported in 2011 and the 908 cases reported in the last ‘peak’ year which for the UK was 2008.