Twelve people, mostly senior citizens, have died from whooping cough (pertussis) in the Czech Republic so far this year, according to data released by the State Health Institute (SZU) today.
The number of infected people has been increasing more slowly in recent weeks than in previous months, with doctors reporting 2,333 new cases since the end of September.
More than 34,000 in the Czech Republic have fallen ill with pertussis since the beginning of the year, the highest number since the end of the 1950s, when vaccination against the disease began.
People with chronic illnesses and the elderly are generally more susceptible to infections, also due to their weakened immune systems, and they are more likely to have multiple infections that can also cause fatal complications, said SZU spokeswoman Stepanka Cechova.
“They should definitely consider vaccination, or their physician should recommend vaccination against selected diseases, such as influenza, COVID-19, pneumococci and pertussis,” she said, stressing that this was especially important for residents of senior homes or other nursing and residential services.
The disease is also dangerous for young children who have not completed vaccination.
Doctors have diagnosed whooping cough in 615 children under one year old in the Czech Republic this year. Two of these children are also among the deaths recorded. Both babies’ deaths were related to having multiple infections at once.
The symptoms of whooping cough are initially similar to the common cold, including a running nose, raised temperature and sore throat. After about two weeks, a choking cough appears, most often at night. In young children, respiratory arrest may also occur. The disease is treated with antibiotics.
The whooping cough vaccination is part of the hexavaccine, a compulsory vaccination at the age of nine weeks, four months, and 11-12 months. Children are re-vaccinated at the age of 10-11 years.
Currently, most patients with pertussis are between 15 and 19, when the vaccine’s effectiveness has been shorter following a change in its composition. Experts recommend at least one vaccination in adulthood, but people must pay for it themselves, and ask their health insurer about the possibility of a refund.
Number of whooping cough cases:
| Year/Month | Number of cases |
| 2019 | 1,347 |
| 2020 | 696 |
| 2021 | 51 |
| 2022 | 96 |
| 2023 | 494 |
| 2024 | 34,423* |
| Jan | 378 |
| Feb | 1,256 |
| March | 3,660 |
| April | 6,448 |
| May | 6,003 |
| June | 4,539 |
| July | 3,934 |
| Aug | 3,170 |
| Sept | 2,691 |
| Oct | 2,333 |
*until Nov 3
Source: SZU – reports on infections
