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Whooping cough, which has been on the rise for several months in several countries, continues to circulate actively in France, with around twenty child deaths now recorded since the start of the year, the French public health agency announced on Tuesday.
The last few weeks have seen the “Continuation of the whooping cough epidemic on the national territory“, summarized Public Health France in a report published on its website.
Nearly thirty deaths linked to whooping cough
“While some indicators appear to be on the decline“including a lull in visits to emergency rooms,”Interpretation should be cautious as July data is not yet consolidated“, the agency specifies.
Whooping cough, a bacterial, not viral, disease, is often benign but can cause serious respiratory and neurological complications, sometimes fatal in babies.
Since the beginning of the year, 20 children have died from whooping cough, according to this latest report. At the end of June, this figure stood at 14 deaths.
The agency also counted eight adult deaths linked in part to whooping cough, but for these people, all aged over 50, the disease is not considered the primary cause of death.
Whooping cough resurgence affecting many other countries
France, like many other countries, has been experiencing a resurgence of whooping cough for several months, in a context marked by the resurgence of many other infectious diseases such as measles.
Public Health France specifies that “Given the very high contagiousness of the disease and the epidemiological situation in France and internationally, the need for increased vigilance during the Paris Olympic Games remains essential, particularly in situations of grouped cases involving people at risk of serious forms.”.
Vaccination remains the best weapon
Doctors regret that vaccination against whooping cough is not yet the rule for infants, especially since the vaccine has been recommended for several years during pregnancy in order to immediately immunize the newborn.
The High Authority for Health recently stressed the need to vaccinate more pregnant women. It also extended its vaccination recommendations to everyone around the baby, including siblings or grandparents, if the mother has not been vaccinated at least one month before giving birth.
An opinion shared by Dr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.
“Vaccination coverage is insufficient in France. Even if newborns are compulsorily vaccinated against whooping cough, the vaccine does not protect them immediately. It is therefore necessary to vaccinate those around them and not to forget the vaccine boosters after the initial dose in children.“, he recommends, in conclusion.