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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rachel Obordo

‘I can’t seem to fight this off’: readers’ experiences of whooping cough

Antibiotics
Rachi Weerasinghe, 56: he is pictured in the City of London, standing in front of the Bank of England, and is wearing an orange, pink and grey striped scarf over a black puffer jacket and pale blue shirt
Rachi Weerasinghe said he had been ‘hit by an illness like no other’ and two months later still had some difficulty speaking. Photograph: Rachi Weerasinghe/Guardian community

Five babies in England have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, health officials have said, amid a sharp rise in cases.

More than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across England so far in 2024 – more than three times the number recorded in the whole of last year. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show 2,793 cases were reported to the end of March, compared with 858 cases for the whole of 2023.

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