Marnie and CampoGreat friend of the show, and I'd tell you what his job never ends because you think you'd be winding down for Christmas, but no hooping cough outbreak. Doctor Paul Griffin joins us. Good morning, Paul, oh, good morning. Thanks having me our pleasure. Now I saw this online going through its socials and there's a bit of an outbreak with hooping cough. Can you tell us a little bit about what's going on.
Yeah, we're basically having record numbers, the highest since we really started recording. And you know, in Coinsland a line, we've had about fourteen thousand cases and normally this time of year we would have had around six hundred, so it's over twenty three times the normal number that we see. And you know there's over forty thousand cases across Australia and you know, the trouble with this infection is this pretty nasty. We've had nearly two hundred people admitted to Coinsland hospitals and including thirty seven babies, and unfortunately one of those didn't survive. So you know, it is a really serious infection in some people and that's why we need to look at getting it back under control.
Yeah. Wow, So I know when the hooping cough vaccine, it's tetanus one too, isn't it. Usually they have that in it as well. I know when you get that, Yeah, there's a few things in it.
I think, yeah, that's right. It comes with a combination soterior technics and picussus, so you know, all three things are really important to be protected against them. So it's good that we've got that combination vaccine. But the trouble is the uptake of that has declined recently, and you know that's going to be a large part of why we're seeing these record numbers.
So roughly because I know when the kids go through their immunizations says that's one of the ones obviously that they do. When what is like the age or how long does it last so to speak? So if you had it a couple of years ago, when would you be due to have it again?
Yeah. I think that's part of the problem too, is it's a bit confusing for adults. So it's very clear in the kids' schedule, So two, four, six, and eighteen months of age, then it's four years and then somewhere between eleven and thirteen. So you know, the kids are pretty good and we're still are cheating over around ninety percent of that, although that has declined recently. But it's the other ones in later life that we're sort of doing a pretty bad job at. So at fifty and sixty five, you should definitely get a booster, and everyone in pregnancy should get a booster as well, because that protects mum and protects the baby, and it's those really young babies that are perhaps the most vulnerable, and it's there we've really fallen away. So that uptake in pregnant mums has fallen away nearly ten percent, and that's going to be contributing to why we're seeing some of those babies ending up in hospital. But in fact, for a lot of people, we probably should just have a booster every ten years. And I haven't had mine for nine years, so I went and got mine this week, so I've just had my booster. So yeah, probably around every ten years for most people would be a good thing to do too.
So what are the symptoms of hooping cough? What do people need to look out for?
Yeah, that's one of the other challenges is often it's quite mild early on. It just seems like a bit of a cold so you might have some coughing and seizing and aches and pains and fevers, and it's usually only in the second week or even a bit later you get that really characteristic, terrible cop off. And you know that's the thing that if you see videos of young baby struggling to breathe and coughing so much they vomit or break ribs, it's just terrific. And you know, I thought it is. It's a nasty bargain. You know, that's why we're trying to get the message out there that you know, if we have high rates of vaccine up take as well as you know, fine cases and treat people appropriately, then we can hopefully get this back under control.
Well, actually I should have a boost. I was just thinking when I had mine, because I had them in there when I was pregnant, so I actually had them almost back to back with both my girls. But Sas is seven now, so I probably I've had a tetanus. Remember when I did my thumb.
Yeah, yeah, But I said to him, then.
If you've got oop and coffin that he goes, no, are you already getting teennus?
Well, I got to Paul, I put like a rusty pipe through the toes the other other week, and I thought to myself, I'll check out whether I've had a tetnus. I wouldn't even know whether.
I should go and have it, and I should have it.
Well, it said, you know, you can wait a while, you know, so you get so I thought you didn't do a bit of shopping.
To pick a cop so I know, yeah what you mean, doctor Paul. I had it when I worked in childcare actually, so yeah years ago. So yes, it is incredibly serious and great toes of healed though, but that's at the good campo. We please, all right, doctor Paul, thank you for the reminders. So if you're not sure if you've had that booster, probably a good idea to get yourself sorted anyway.
All right, Doctor Paul, always one of our greatest friends of the show. Thank you so much for everything you've given us through the year. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with yourself and your family. You're taking a little bit of a break, we're.
Working through Christmas, begetting a bit of a break in January, so looking forward to that very much.
Thanks for joining us right through twenty twenty four and I hope, hopefully we'll get together again in twenty twenty five.
We have a pleasure, thanks very much.
Professor Paul Griffin Money, head of Infectious Diseases at the Marty
