<2>Whooping Cough: Vaccination Rates at 10-Year Low in Australia After Record-Breaking Surge in Cases
<3>Background
Australia has been experiencing a significant surge in whooping cough cases, with over 57,000 reported in 2024, the highest number since monitoring began in 1991. This surge has led to a record-breaking number of cases, with numbers also higher than usual in 2025.
<3>Current Situation
Childhood immunization rates in Australia are at a 10-year low, with only 91.6% of 15-month-olds being fully immunized in 2024-25, compared to a peak of around 95% in 2020-21. This decline in immunization rates is a cause for concern, as it may lead to a higher risk of whooping cough outbreaks in the future.
<3>Long-Term Implications
Experts are concerned about the longer-term implications of falling immunization rates in children. “It’s not just coverage at certain ages. On-time vaccination has also declined by at least 10%,” said paediatric infectious disease specialist Archana Koirala, from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) in Sydney