Australia is battling its biggest rise in whooping cough cases in 35 years.

During 2024 and 2025 Australia recorded 82,513 whooping cough cases – the highest number since monitoring began in 1991.

Also known as pertussis or the “100-day cough”, whooping cough is a potentially fatal respiratory illness which causes severe coughing episodes.

It spreads from one person to another and is particularly deadly among infants.

So why the surge? And how can you protect yourself and your loved ones?

Whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis.

Transmission occurs through close contact with infected people such as via coughing and sneezing.

Early symptoms include runny nose or sore throat. This is called the “catarrhal phase” and can look similar to a common cold.

A persistent cough comes next, and typically lasts between six and ten weeks.

This leads to intense bouts of coughing, with babies and children often making high-pitched “whoop” sounds when they breath in. This is where the term “whooping cough” comes from.

Whooping cough can be very severe in newborn babies and infants. About one in 125 babies with whooping cough aged below six........

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