Nearly 5,000 cases of pertussis have already been recorded in 2024. READ MORE:Health officials are 'in denial' over a shortage of crucial whooping cough antibiotics, pharmacists warned today.
Although they may not reduce symptoms, antibiotics are vital as they stop patients from being infectious within 48 hours, helping to limit the spread of the bacterial infection. Health officials warned that the infection is initially difficult to tell apart from a cold, as the first signs are a runny nose and sore throat. But around a week later, sufferers may develop coughing bouts that last minutes, struggle to breathe after coughing and make a 'whoop' sound between coughs.
Read More Pharmacists announce day of 'lights out' protest amid plans to have them to take over doctors in prescribing acne and HRT medications 'Patients are stressed and pharmacists are spending on average two hours a day trying to source medicines. Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: 'The national warnings are only issued when shortages are at their most acute, with this revealing just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of the challenges facing pharmacies and their patients.
Health chiefs have blamed the current outbreak on a steady decline in the uptake of vaccines among expectant mums. The jab in pregnancy, offered between 16 and 32 weeks, protects babies in the first few months of their life, when they are most vulnerable and before they can receive their own vaccines.
Whooping cough, spread through coughs and sneezes, can initially be difficult to tell apart from a cold, with the first signs typically being a runny nose and sore throat. Other signs of pertussis include bringing up a thick mucus that can cause vomiting and becoming red in the face.
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