A total of 1,047 cases of whooping cough in England and Wales were reported to the HPA in July 2012, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 3,523.
The HPA says that this ongoing outbreak is mainly affecting teenagers and young adults. However, it has seen high numbers of cases in very young babies. 235 cases have been reported in infants under three months so far this year, compared to 112 cases in 2008. There have also been six whooping coughrelated deaths in infants up to the end of July, compared to five in 2008.
