Cases Of Whooping Cough Surging Across Europe, Health Officials Say

Reuters (5/8, Rigby) reports, “European countries have reported a surge in whooping cough cases in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, with 10 times as many identified as in each of the previous two years.” Overall, almost “60,000 cases were reported by European Union and European Economic Area countries over the period, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Wednesday, with 11 deaths in infants and eight among older adults.” The agency said lower vaccination rates during the COVID-19 pandemic may be contributing to the outbreak.