Baby dies of whooping cough after mother not vaccinated while pregnant

A baby whose mother was not vaccinated against whooping cough while pregnant has died after contracting the infection, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

The death, which occurred between January and June 2025, is the first fatal case of whooping cough in the UK this year.

It follows government warnings about low vaccine uptake, including among children, as well as an increase in vaccine hesitancy.

None of the main childhood vaccines in England reached the uptake target of 95% last year, recent data from the health agency showed.

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and airways which can be fatal, particularly for babies. Eleven infants died of the illness in 2024.

Pregnant women, as well as infants and young children, are advised to get vaccinated against it. The uptake among pregnant women currently stands at 72.6%.

The UKHSA says vaccination during pregnancy, introduced in late 2012, is "key to passively protecting babies" in their first weeks of life. Infants are first offered a jab which protects against whooping cough at eight weeks old.

Thirty-three infants have died of the illness since 2013 - 27 of whom had mothers who had not received the jab in pregnancy.

The UKHSA's deputy director Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam said the case was a reminder of "how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies".

She continued: "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."