London, Jul 12 (IANS): Nine infants have died since the beginning of an outbreak of whooping cough in November last year, according to figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

In the first five months of 2024, 7,599 children and adults have been infected by the disease, which affects the lungs and breathing tubes and spreads easily, showed the figures released on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Young babies are at highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough," the UKHSA said in its alert.

Over half of those infected are people aged 15 or older and suffer a mild illness, the agency said, adding that high numbers continue to be reported in babies under three months of age who are at greatest risk from the infection.

Medics have urged pregnant women and babies to get whooping cough vaccinations. The UKHSA said the latest uptake data for vaccinations offered to pregnant women to protect newborn infants against whooping cough has fallen below 60 per cent.

Timely vaccination in pregnancy and childhood is important to protect vulnerable young infants from serious disease, according to the UKHSA.

"Vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough, and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time," said Mary Ramsay, director of Immunisation at the UKHSA.

Andrew Preston, a professor from the Milner Center for Evolution and the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bath, said: "We've now reached levels that we haven't seen in the UK for well over ten years. This is a genuine outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough)."

"The levels of infant vaccination against pertussis have dropped over the last ten years and thousands of infants haven't received the vaccinations that we know provide protection," he said.

Preston said there has also been a striking reduction in maternal vaccination coverage in some parts of the country, down as low as 25 per cent to 30 per cent in some urban parts of Britain.

"I think that's contributing to some of the more serious cases in those very young infants," he added.

Preston said he was not sure how long the current outbreak will last. "It's on an upward trajectory, and to be honest, I don't think we know when that will plateau, but I think it is probably going to be at an enhanced incidence for most of this year."