The Department of Healthcare already counted 159 reports of whooping cough this year. In the years before the corona pandemic, on average less than a thousand whooping cough cases were reported per year, or an average of eighty in the month of January (2017-2019). It is striking that there are more cases than in recent years, especially in Antwerp (46) and Flemish Brabant (57).
Most cases occur in children between 4 and 9 years of age. The protection provided by vaccinations as a baby then begins to diminish. “Whooping cough is not that dangerous for those children, but they can infect their younger brothers or sisters, who are very vulnerable and susceptible to complications,” it said.
The Department of Healthcare also received an increased number of reports of infections and hospital admissions in children under the age of 1 in January. Sixteen infants were diagnosed with whooping cough this year and ten of them were admitted to hospital.
2024-02-14 17:37:00
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