The number of whooping cough cases in Austria has risen sharply. As the Ministry of Health confirmed on Wednesday, 6,049 diseases had already been registered by mid-June, compared to 2,780 for the whole of 2023.
The disease is especially dangerous for children; in March a baby died of whooping cough in Graz.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides had already called for better vaccination morale in May: “This is a serious disease, especially in infants. We have safe and effective vaccines that can prevent this. Vaccination is our most important tool to save lives and prevent the further spread of the disease.”
Vaccination in Austria is free for children
In Austria, the vaccination is administered as part of the six-time vaccination in the third, fifth and eleventh to twelfth months of life and is part of the free childhood vaccination program. At school age, a combination vaccination with diphtheria, tetanus and polio is repeated in the seventh to ninth year of life – ideally before the start of primary school. After that, a booster vaccination must take place every ten years and from the age of 60 every five years.
To protect children as best as possible from birth, the expectant mother must be vaccinated during every pregnancy, preferably between the 27th and 36th week of pregnancy.
Source: Krone
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