Whooping cough numbers at record highs as vaccine rates fall across Australia

Australia has recorded its highest rates of whooping cough in three decades, as the number of fully immunised children reached a 10-year low, a new Productivity Commission report has revealed.

Almost 800 cases per 100,000 children were recorded nationwide in 2024-25, and was a significant increase from the previous year, which recorded about 200 cases per 100,000 children.

The Australian Centre for Disease Control reported 54,000 cases of whooping cough in 2024 with NSW and Queensland having the highest number of cases across every state and territory.

It is the highest number of whooping cough cases recorded in Australia since monitoring started in 1991.

The highly infectious disease can cause severe illness or death, and is especially dangerous to babies who are not yet immunised.

An Australian Centre for Disease Control spokesman said the high number of whooping cough cases being experienced in Australia was a significant concern – and reinforced the importance of vaccination.

“The elevated number of whooping cough cases in Australia is being driven by various factors, including expected epidemic peaks, declining vaccination rates and waning immunity levels among the Australian population,” a spokesman said.

“Immunisation coverage rates for whooping cough remain above 90 per cent for children aged one, two and five across Australia, but Australia has seen a gradual decline in childhood immunisation coverage rates in recent years.

“Vaccination during pregnancy and on-time childhood vaccination are the most effective ways to protect babies.”

A spokesman said vaccination was one of the most successful and cost-effective public health measures worldwide and remained one of the most effective ways to protect people from many serious infectious diseases.

“Even small declines in coverage can make a big difference as infectious diseases can exploit gaps very quickly,” a spokesman said.

“Before vaccination, whooping cough was a leading cause of infant death. Immunisation has reduced that risk, but the protection only remains when coverage is sustained.”

Immunisation Foundation of Australia executive director Catherine Hughes said falling vaccination rates was a worrying trend.

Ms Hughes lost her son Riley to whooping cough when he was too young to be vaccinated against the disease at 32 days old.

She told the ABC it made her heart sink to think about watching her baby in hospital get sicker and sicker and not survive.

“It’s such a simple, easy way to prevent it,” she said.

“To know that these rates are … the worst that they’ve been in 10 years for childhood immunisation is not great news.”

Ms Hughes believes people read untrustworthy information on social media and others have lost trust in vaccines and other institutions.

“I’m seeing a huge increase in the anti-vaccine propaganda online,” she said.

“At the end of the day, all it really does is serve as a reminder to me why it’s important that we continue to speak out.

“We’re here 10 or 11 years later, still speaking out about the importance of vaccination.”