Whooping cough “endemic� among UK school children

Whooping cough “endemic� among UK school children, say experts. Whooping cough in school age children with persistent cough: prospective cohort study in primary care BMJ Online First

Nearly 40% of school age children in the United Kingdom who visit their family doctor with a persistent cough have evidence of whooping cough infection, even though they have been fully immunised, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

These startling results suggest that whooping cough is endemic among young children in the UK, with important implications for clinical practice and immunisation policy, say the authors.