UK Health Alert: Pregnant women are urged to take the Whooping Cough Vaccine as an Infant Dies
Health officials are urging pregnant women not to miss the whooping cough vaccine after a newborn baby died from the infection earlier this year. It is the first infant death linked to the disease in 2025.
The tragedy happened between March and June. The baby’s mother had not received the jab during pregnancy, sparking renewed warnings about the risks of skipping vaccination.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious infection of the lungs and airways. While older children and adults usually recover, it can be deadly for newborns. Eleven babies in the UK died from the illness last year alone.
Pregnant women are routinely offered the vaccine between 20 and 32 weeks. The jab, usually ADACEL, also protects against diphtheria and tetanus. Importantly, it passes antibodies to the baby before birth, helping shield them in those vulnerable early weeks.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Sadly, with a further infant death in the second quarter of 2025, we are again reminded how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who has so tragically lost their baby.
Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough, and pregnant women and young infants must receive their vaccines at the right time, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks…
If you are pregnant and approaching 20 weeks, and haven’t been offered the whooping cough vaccine, please speak to your GP or midwife today to find out how you can get your vaccine.”
Despite clear evidence of protection, uptake among pregnant women has fallen to its lowest point in over a decade. Only around 73% received the jab last year. In 2016, the rate was closer to 76%.
The picture is just as troubling for childhood vaccines. Coverage for the MMR jab and the four-in-one booster has dipped well below the recommended 95% needed to keep outbreaks at bay.
A recent report on whooping cough vaccine uptake in the UK highlighted how falling rates are leaving children at risk of preventable illness, with serious consequences for families.
- Since the pregnancy vaccination programme began in 2012, 33 babies have died of whooping cough. In 27 of those cases, the mothers had not been vaccinated.
- Between January and June 2025, there were more than 500 confirmed cases of the disease in the UK, including several in infants under three months old.
- One in five children starting primary school this year are not fully protected against key diseases, including whooping cough.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock described vaccination as “common sense,” stressing the need to counter vaccine hesitancy, which has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said new campaigns will highlight the safety and life-saving benefits of vaccines for both mothers and children.
The message from doctors is clear: the whooping cough vaccine saves lives. For expectant mothers, getting the jab at the right time could mean the difference between life and death for their baby.
Now, with uptake slipping and cases rising, officials are calling on every pregnant woman to act, before it’s too late.
