Five babies have died with whooping cough this year amid rapid rise of cases

Five babies in England have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, health officials have said amid a rapid rise in cases.

More than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across England so far this year - more than three times the amount recorded in the whole of last year.

New UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show there were 2,793 cases reported to the end of March.

This is compared with the 858 cases for the whole of 2023.

The UKHSA said there have been five infant deaths between January and the end of March.

"Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but for very young babies it can be extremely serious," said UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby."

There were 1,319 cases reported in March alone, according to the provisional data.

The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, affects the lungs and breathing tubes.

Whooping cough can be called the "100-day cough" because of how long it can take to recover from it, and it spreads very easily.

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