A national pertussis epidemic was declared on November 22, 2024 following an increase in cases throughout New Zealand beginning on October 19, 2024.
Through November 14, 2025, New Zealand reports a total of 3434 confirmed, probable and suspect cases of pertussis were notified; overall, 299 cases (9.1%) were hospitalized and there has been one death; of the 288 cases (8.4%) aged less than 1 year, 146 (52.0%) were hospitalized.
The total reported cases since the beginning of 2025 to 2,349.
In the past four weeks, notification rates were highest among infants aged less than 1 year, followed by children aged 1–4 years. Infants aged less than 1 year are most vulnerable to severe disease, with a high proportion requiring hospitalization. Among infants, those aged less than 2 months are at highest risk of severe disease and death.
Pertussis vaccination is funded in New Zealand during every pregnancy and as part of the childhood immunization schedule.
The primary series is given at 6 weeks, 3 months and 5 months. Together with the antenatal vaccine, this schedule aims to protect infants against pertussis infection, severe disease requiring hospitalization, and death.
In the epidemic to date, there have been 54 cases of pertussis in infants aged <2 months. Of these, seven (13.0%) were born to mothers who had received antenatal vaccination against pertussis during pregnancy. Among cases aged 2–11 months, 71.6% (161/225) had not received all of their age-appropriate pertussis vaccine doses.