Immunise now as whooping cough is on the rise
Pregnant people, babies, children and others at high risk from whooping cough are urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible. This is because Aotearoa New Zealand stands at high risk of an outbreak.
Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious illness that can be particularly dangerous for babies, with cases rising across the motu over the past month to high levels.
“Whooping cough cases have continued to rise significantly during September to the point where the risk of a national outbreak is now considered high,” says National Clinical Director Protection Dr Susan Jack at Health NZ.
“Significant outbreaks are occurring across the Tasman and around the world, so we are on high alert for an outbreak here.”
“We are most concerned for newborn babies who are too young to be vaccinated. This is why it so vitally important for pregnant people to be vaccinated. This is recommended from 16 weeks of pregnancy as the best and safest way to protect their baby from this serious, and sadly, sometimes fatal disease,” Dr Jack says.
Find out more about the whooping cough vaccination.
Book your whooping cough vaccination online, or call 0800 28 29 26 for more information or assistance.
Signs and symptoms of whooping cough to look out for
Whooping cough is highly infectious and is spread by coughing and sneezing. It’s caused by bacteria which damage the breathing tubes.
The symptoms usually appear around a week after infection.
Pertussis tends to develop in 3 stages. The initial (catarrhal) stage is when people are most infectious. It lasts for 1 or 2 weeks, and symptoms include:
- a runny nose;
- sneezing;
- slight fever;
- a mild irritating cough; and
- feeling generally unwell.
Find out more about whooping cough (Health NZ).
Welcome to Waka Toa Ora
Waka Toa Ora is a Canterbury DHB-led inter-sectoral collaborative partnership in the Canterbury region. The partnership is based on the WHO Healthy Cities model, and was previously known as Healthy Christchurch.
The key theme of initiative is that all sectors and groups have a role to play in creating a healthy Canterbury, whatever their specific focus (recreation, employment, youth, environmental enhancement, transport, housing or another aspect of health or wellbeing).
This inter-sectoral initiative fosters collaboration between organisations who have signed the Waka Toa Ora Charter.
Read the Waka Toa Ora Charter - updated July 2019.
The new name Waka Toa Ora communicates that we are all in a waka together. We are rowing in the same direction and navigating the many dimensions of wellbeing (physical, social, spiritual, and mental and emotional — hau ora, wai ora, mauri ora, toi ora). We are stronger navigating the regional landscape together.
There are currently over 200 charter signatories to the Waka Toa Ora Charter, including government agencies, businesses, voluntary sector groups, networks and residents’ associations. The organisations involved reflect a diverse focus and cover many aspects of health and wellbeing.
