In the first three months of this year, more whooping cough infections have already been diagnosed in Europe than in the whole of 2023. At the end of March, there were already 32,037 infections, compared to 25,130 in the whole of last year. It is the largest outbreak since records began in 2011.
The European whooping cough figures have been monitored since 2011 for the 27 EU member states and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Luxembourg at the top
Luxembourg is proportionately the hardest hit. In March, 402 in every million people in the country had whooping cough. This is followed by the Czech Republic (336 per million), Slovenia (184 per million) and Austria (127 per million).
In the Netherlands, the outbreak peaked in February, with almost 111 infections for every million inhabitants. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) warned a week ago about the highest level of whooping cough infections in the Netherlands in at least ten years.
There is no real treatment for whooping cough, but vaccinations can reduce the problems. That is how it works:
Also deaths
Since the beginning of 2023, at least nineteen people in Europe have died from whooping cough. This concerns eleven children and eight elderly people.
These are also the age groups with the greatest risk of infection.
