Fifth baby dies from whooping cough in the Netherlands as outbreak continues

Another baby has died from whooping cough in the Netherlands this year, the fifth known fatal case involving a baby, according to Dutch public health institute RIVM. In most age groups, the number of reported infections with the whooping cough bacteria has decreased slightly in recent weeks. For babies, however, the decline is "less clear," the RIVM said on Wednesday.

The institute has already received nearly 13,000 reports of whooping cough this year, the highest number in twelve years. The country is on a path to set a new record before the end of the year, the data showed. Among those who fell ill this year were 596 babies.

The disease can be especially dangerous for young children. Of the babies up to five months of age who contract the disease, half need to be hospitalized. Nearly a quarter of slightly older babies require hospital treatment.

The whooping cough bacteria mainly causes coughing complaints, which sometimes last for months and can progress to pneumonia. It is dangerous for babies, because they become exhausted from all the coughing and therefore have difficulty drinking. "The heavy coughing also causes a lack of oxygen. This can cause brain damage," the RIVM explains. Sometimes babies with whooping cough don't cough, but they stop breathing occasionally.

Young babies can be vaccinated against whooping cough. They can also receive effective protection before birth if the mother is vaccinated during her pregnancy.

The RIVM figures make it clear that unvaccinated babies are at a particularly high risk: of the children under the age of two months who are diagnosed with whooping cough, 90 percent of mothers had not received the vaccine injection by their 22nd week of pregnancy. Of the infected babies between three and eleven months of age whose vaccination status is known, 81 percent had not been vaccinated, or had not been fully vaccinated for their age.

In the past two weeks, the RIVM received 1,200 reports about infections. This remains a high number compared to recent years, but there appears to be a downward trend. There were also periods this year when the number of infections was half as high.

The Nivel health research center observed a decrease reflected in data from general practitioners. Although they still see a relatively large number of patients with whooping cough, that number was lower last week than in the previous weeks. Also in the youngest age category.