In a tragic reminder of the risks posed by preventable diseases, a baby under one year old has died of whooping cough in the United Kingdom—the first such fatality reported in 2025. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the infant’s mother had not received the recommended vaccination during pregnancy, a decision that left her newborn vulnerable to the highly infectious disease. The death, which occurred between March and June, has reignited urgent calls from health officials and experts for improved vaccination uptake among expectant mothers and young children.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a serious respiratory illness caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. It spreads through droplets in the air from coughing and sneezing, quickly infecting those who are unprotected. While the disease can cause prolonged coughing fits in older children and adults, it is especially dangerous for infants, who are at risk of severe complications such as pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and even death. Symptoms often begin like a common cold but rapidly escalate to violent coughing spells, sometimes causing difficulty breathing, vomiting, and a bluish tint to the skin.
Babies are particularly vulnerable in their first months of life, as they cannot receive their first dose of the whooping cough vaccine until they are two months old. This leaves a critical window of susceptibility—one that can only be bridged by maternal vaccination. As Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj, gynaecologist and IVF expert at The Nurture IVF Clinic, told OnlyMyHealth, "Unfortunately, babies do not begin to develop their natural immunity to whooping cough until they are vaccinated at two months of age. This leaves babies defenseless in the earliest months of life, when they're most at danger of getting whooping cough and having serious and potentially life-threatening consequences from it."
Maternal immunisation, introduced in the UK in October 2012, has proven to be a critical line of defense. When a pregnant woman receives the vaccine—usually between 20 and 32 weeks of gestation—she produces protective antibodies that are passed to her baby in the womb, offering vital short-term protection after birth. Dr Bajaj explains, "Maternal immunisation for whooping cough causes a pregnant woman to produce protective antibodies, which are passed on to the fetus before delivery. These antibodies provide some short-term protection against whooping cough in early infancy. They can protect the newborn from some of the more severe effects of whooping cough."
Despite the clear benefits, vaccination rates among pregnant women and children in the UK have dropped to their lowest levels in over a decade. The UKHSA reports that uptake among pregnant women peaked at 76% in 2016 but declined to 59% by March 2024. Since last year’s cluster of deaths, rates have improved to 73%—still below the previous high. The consequences of these declines are stark: since the maternal vaccination programme began, 33 babies have died from confirmed whooping cough, and 27 of those had mothers who were not vaccinated during pregnancy.
The significance of maternal vaccination is reflected in the statistics. Deaths of infants due to whooping cough have dropped by almost half since the vaccine for pregnant women was introduced—down from 64 deaths in the twelve years prior to 33 in the twelve years since, according to government data cited by Metro. Yet, every loss remains a devastating reminder of what’s at stake.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director at UKHSA, expressed her condolences and underlined the severity of the situation: "Sadly, with a further infant death in the second quarter of 2025, we are again reminded how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who have so tragically lost their baby." She added, "Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks. This passes protection to their baby in the womb so that they are protected from birth."
It’s not just maternal vaccination that’s under scrutiny. Childhood vaccination rates have also dropped significantly. According to UKHSA figures, almost one in five children starting primary school in September 2025 are not fully protected against serious diseases—including whooping cough, polio, tetanus, and diphtheria. Not a single childhood vaccine in England met the 95% coverage target needed to prevent disease outbreaks. The coverage for the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine among five-year-olds stands at only 83.7%, the lowest since 2009/10, while the Hib/MenC vaccine coverage is at 88.9%, its lowest since 2011/12.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of immunisation at UKHSA, warned that the consequences could be dire: "Far too many children will not be fully protected and safe when starting school, and are at risk of serious diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, that have in recent years caused outbreaks. Measles, being the most infectious disease, is the ‘canary in the coalmine’ and a wake-up call that urgent action is needed to stop the very real risk of other diseases re-emerging." She called for a "concerted effort in providing these vitally important vaccines, to make time to speak and reassure any parents who may have concerns, and make it as easy as possible for their children to get vaccinated."
So why are some parents and expectant mothers hesitant to vaccinate? According to OnlyMyHealth, reasons range from misinformation and fear of side effects to the mistaken belief that herd immunity will offer sufficient protection. Some worry about the vaccine’s impact on their unborn baby, while others are influenced by cultural beliefs or gaps in the healthcare system. However, experts stress that the whooping cough vaccine is safe during pregnancy and does not harm the developing fetus. Instead, it offers life-saving protection during the baby’s most vulnerable months.
The urgency of addressing vaccine hesitancy has grown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has sown doubt and disrupted routine healthcare. Health minister Stephen Kinnock recently described vaccinating children as "common sense" amid what he sees as a rise in "vaccine hesitancy" post-pandemic.
Globally, the stakes are high. StatPearls Publishing reports that there are over 24 million cases of whooping cough annually, with more than 160,000 deaths—38% of cases occur in infants under six months, and 71% in children under five. The UK’s experience is a microcosm of a wider challenge: protecting the youngest and most vulnerable through timely, evidence-based vaccination.
As the UK grapples with falling immunisation rates and the very real consequences they bring, the message from health officials is clear and consistent: vaccination saves lives. No parent should have to endure the loss of a child to a disease that modern medicine can prevent. By ensuring that expectant mothers and children receive their vaccines on time, communities can offer every newborn a safer, healthier start in life—free from the shadow of whooping cough.
