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Whooping cough cases have almost doubled in the past week.
Officials declared a national whooping cough epidemic on 22 November after weeks of consistently high case numbers, hospitalisations and unlinked outbreaks.
Whooping cough (otherwise know as pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection that causes breathing difficulties and severe coughing fits, with a cough that has a 'whoop' like sound.
The latest figures from ESR show 156 new cases were reported last week, up from 80.
There were 10 people hospitalised last week, including four babies under 12 months.
The Southland region continues to have the most cases, going from 12 to 33 in the week ending 29 November.
Canterbury has the second highest number of cases, jumping from three cases to 20.
While the third highest region is Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley with 16 new cases, up from five the week prior.
The total number of cases reported this year is now 1166, with 110 hospitalisations.
National Public Health Service specialist Dr Matt Reid said most regions were experiencing consistently high case numbers, including some hospitalisations.
"We are expecting to see higher reporting of numbers due to increased public awareness and anticipate case numbers will continue to rise in the coming weeks," Reid said.
This year, 38 babies under 6-months-old have been hospitalised.
University of Otago immunologist Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu said the latest numbers were concerning.
"Whooping cough can be very dangerous for our little ones," she said.
Sika-Paotonu said whooping cough spreads quickly but was easily prevented through immunisation.
However, she said immunisation rates had been dropping.
People encouraged to get vaccinated
Reid said they were encouraging pregnant woman to get vaccinated from 16 weeks pregnant to ensure babies are vaccinated on time.
"Getting vaccinated for whooping cough while you are pregnant protects your pēpi from serious complications of this disease until they can have their first immunisations when they are 6-weeks-old," Reid said.
"This is because your immunity will pass to your baby through the placenta."
Pēpi can only have their first immunisations at 6 weeks, so they are particularly vulnerable to picking up this very contagious disease before then, and if they do they can become very unwell.
Reid said babies whose mother's were vaccinated against whooping cough during pregnancy were 90 percent less likely to be hospitalised for pertussis.
Around 50 percent of children who catch whooping cough before the age of 12 months need hospitalisation and one or two in 100 of those hospitalised children die from the infection.
"We are also strongly encouraging parents and caregivers to prioritise getting their tamariki their childhood immunisations on time to protect against whooping cough. They are needed at ages 6 weeks, 3 months and 5 months, and again at 4 years," Reid said.
Adults are eligible for one free booster from age 45 (if they have not had four previous tetanus doses) and can also get one free from age 65.
Previous to the current epidemic, the last major outbreak was in 2017.
Whooping cough: What you need to know
- Childhood vaccinations to protect against whooping cough are needed at ages six weeks, three months and five months, and again at four years
- A further booster is given at age 11 years (school year 7)
- Vaccination is free for pregnant people
- Adults are eligible for one free booster from age 45 (if they have not had four previous tetanus doses) and can get one free from age 65
- Whooping cough causes breathing difficulties and severe coughing fits. The cough can go on for weeks or months which is why it is sometimes called the "100-day cough"
- People are most infectious in the early stages - with the first signs of whooping cough usually appearing around one week after infection
- A blocked or runny nose
- Sneezing
- A mild fever
- Uncontrollable coughing fits that last for a few minutes
- Coughing that leads to vomiting
- A thick mucus that can make you vomit or choke
- During coughing spells, young babies may gasp for air and may briefly stop breathing and turn blue
Symptoms (after about one week):
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