Prague – Last year in the Czech Republic there was the most whooping cough in the last 50 years, 2521 people sought treatment, in 1963 3399 people. This year the number of illnesses decreased, in the first semester there were 397 cases.

yourself website This was revealed by the State Health Institute (SZÚ). The highest number of cases since the Second World War occurred in 1956, two years before universal vaccination was introduced. The number of cases then reached 49,144.

Last year, the number of sickest people, namely 946 people, occurred in the 15 to 19 year old age group, and the number of people who will become parents, namely young people aged over 20 years, also increased. Among children, babies under three months of age are most commonly affected.

Converted to 100,000 inhabitants, 520.5 cases were reported on record in 1956, the lowest in 1989 – 0.03, last year 24 cases.

One person died last year

Whooping cough spreads through droplets and causes whooping cough attacks. This disease threatens the lives of newborns and people with respiratory system diseases. Last year, one death from whooping cough occurred in a 75-year-old man.

Despite the high proportion of vaccinated people in the Czech population, the cycle of disease incidence repeats itself in two to five years in the long term, similar to other countries, SZÚ said.

According to him, the epidemic cycle shows that the Bordetella pertussis bacteria that causes the disease is permanently present in the community.

In the Czech Republic, children are required to be vaccinated against whooping cough, their vaccination is covered by health insurance companies. The so-called hexavaccine protects babies and toddlers, preschoolers and, since 2009, also children aged 10 to 11 years. Insurance companies do not cover vaccinations for adults.

Adults should also be vaccinated

According to experts, adults should also get vaccinated, partly because it will reduce the risk of transmission to the youngest children who cannot yet get vaccinated. Maternity hospitals provide vaccinations to parents and grandparents, maternity hospital employees also receive vaccinations.

This is a so-called protective strategy that significantly helps reduce the morbidity rates of the youngest children from whooping cough. However, opponents of vaccination question the vaccination and state that it can cause serious health complications in some children.

Number of whooping cough cases in the Czech Republic since 2005: