South Korea reports increase in pertussis in 2023
A 232% increase in whooping cough reported this year
Officials with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDC), the number of pertussis, or whooping cough cases in 2023 to date is up 232 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
As of November 4, 83 whooping cough cases have been reported, this compares to 25 reported last year and 15 reported in 2021.
By age group, children under the age of 12 were the largest group with 58 people (69.9%), followed by people over 70 years old with 11 people (13.3%), and people over 60 years old with 6 people (7.2%).
By region, Gyeongnam saw the most cases (22 people, 26.5%), followed by Gyeonggi (20 people, 24.1%) and Seoul (7 people, 8.4%).
Concerning vaccination rates in South Korea, the pertussis (DTaP) vaccination rate (4th dose) exceeds 95%, but the age-specific vaccination rate varies: 97.3% for 1-year-olds, 95.1% for 2-year-olds, 95.8% for 3-year-olds, 94.1% for 6-year-olds, and 85.8% for 12-year-olds. The vaccination rate at ages 6 and 12, which is the time for the 6th booster vaccination, is relatively low.
KCDC Director Ji Young-mi said, “The effectiveness of vaccines administered in infancy may decrease with age, so it is very important to receive additional doses at the right time after the basic dose.”
“Additional whooping cough vaccination (5th to 6th dose) is recommended for ages 4 to 12. Children attending daycare centers and elementary school students who live in groups are at high risk of becoming infected with pertussis while incompletely vaccinated or spreading the virus to their friends. “Please be sure to participate in vaccination.”
In addition, he said, “Parents need active interest and guidance to practice hand washing and cough etiquette in daily life to prevent respiratory infectious diseases, including whooping cough.”