Vaccination experts are warning New Zealand is due for an outbreak of whooping cough.
Photo: AFP / MENDIL / BSIP
They said the most recent wave of the contagious disease started in 2011, and that large outbreaks are cyclical, with a major spike in cases seen every few years.
A former immunisation co-ordinator for the Waikato District Health Board, Kim Hunter, said the latest outbreak was waning now, so another can be expected in the near future.
Ms Hunter said 70 percent of whooping cough cases in babies are caught from parents and close family members.