A WHOOPING cough epidemic has led NSW to record its highest
number of new cases of the disease. More than 13,000 people were
infected in 2011, and one baby died, surveillance figures
published in the CSIRO's NSW Public Health Bulletin show.
Experts do not know how to stop the spread of the disease, as
even people who are vaccinated are at risk because the vaccine
begins to wear off after only a couple of years. Alexander
Rosewell, who led the surveillance report team, said 2011 was an
epidemic year. "It is largely due to a build-up of susceptible
people in the community," he said. "When there are low levels of
protective antibodies in the community you are more likely to
see an outbreak." Mr Rosewell said most people vaccinated their
children, but the high rates of whooping cough helped create a
chain-reaction. "When there's more disease around then … the
people who are susceptible have a greater chance of being
exposed," said Mr Rosewell, who is a vaccine-preventable
diseases epidemiologist with Health Prote