Whooping cough cases surge in Czechia

Doctors in Czechia have reported 1,167 cases of whooping cough since January, nearly 2.5 times more than in all of 2023, according to fresh data released by the National Institute of Public Health on Thursday. This marks a sharp rise from last year when over 37,000 people fell ill. The disease is especially dangerous for infants under one, with 37 cases already recorded this year.

According to experts, the number of cases is unusually high for this time of year, showing the infection is still spreading. Cases peaked last May with over 6,000 infections before declining. Whooping cough, which young children are vaccinated against, tends to resurface in five-year cycles. Last year’s outbreak was the worst since vaccination began in 1958.