A baby whose mother was not vaccinated against whooping cough while pregnant has died after contracting the infection, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

The death, which occurred between March and June, is the first fatal case of whooping cough in the UK this year and comes as vaccination rates among children and pregnant women have fallen to their lowest levels in 15 years.

It follows government warnings about low vaccine uptake, including among children, as well as an increase in vaccine hesitancy. None of the main childhood vaccines in England reached the uptake target of 95 per cent last year, recent data from the health agency showed .

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection of the lungs and airways which can be fatal, particularly for babies. Eleven

See Full Page