CASES of whooping cough across Bristol have almost doubled in just six months.
The Health Protection Agency has already seen 80 confirmed cases this year in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire compared to 42 cases in the whole of 2011.
Parents are being warned to ensure their children's vaccinations are up to date after the hike in numbers.
In young children whooping cough can be a serious, even life threatening illness.
The Health Protection Agency has written to GPs reminding them of the signs and symptoms of the infection and stressing the importance of vaccination. The agency is also encouraging GPs to report cases quickly.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, affects all ages. Over the last few months the recent rise in cases has extended to very young children who have the highest risk of severe complications and death.
Whooping cough in older people can be an unpleasant illness but does not usually lead to serious complications.
North Somerset public health consultant Dr Ruth Kipping said: "Many adults think that whooping cough cannot affect them, particularly if they were themselves immunised as children.
"However, it is an illness which can strike adults, as protection offered by the vaccine wears off in adulthood and can be passed onto children with serious results.
"Anyone showing signs and symptoms – which include severe coughing fits accompanied by the characteristic "whoop" sound in young children, but is a prolonged cough in older children and adults – should visit their GP.
"Parents should ensure their children are up to date with their vaccinations so that they are protected at the earliest opportunity. Vaccination for whooping cough is given up to 10 years of age. The pre-school booster is important, not only to boost protection in that child but also to reduce the risk of them passing the infection on to vulnerable babies, as those under four months cannot be fully protected by the vaccine."
The infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics to prevent the infection spreading further but young infants may also need hospital care due to the risk of severe complications. While antibiotic treatment is effective in reducing the spread of infection it does not reduce the severity of the actual illness.
Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at the Bristol University and a consultant at Bristol Children's Hospital said: "Whooping cough is a terrible illness in young children, especially infants.
"Vaccination has made it rare but it has never completely gone away and is now showing worrying signs of coming back. It is hard, sometimes impossible to treat so we want parents to do everything they can to limit spread by ensuring their children are fully immunised."
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