As reported by the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), cases of whooping cough in EU/EEA countries increased by over tenfold in 2023 compared to the preceding years. By the end of April 2024, almost 60,000 cases had been recorded. A comparison of incidence rates of pertussis in Italy, Austria, Denmark and Germany in March 2024 indicates that Italy recorded a lower rate of 9.9 cases per million inhabitants, compared with Austria (127 cases per million inhabitants), Denmark (63 cases per million inhabitants) and Germany (11.5 cases per million inhabitants).
The ECDC has highlighted the importance of public health authorities in strengthening vaccination programmes and achieving and supporting high vaccination coverage. This should include the timely and complete completion of the primary immunisation cycle and subsequent booster doses, in accordance with national recommendations. Additionally, most EU/EEA countries support maternal vaccination alongside the standard infant vaccination schedule.
