There has been an "unseasonably high" number of school kids with cases of whooping cough in New South Wales in recent months, according to NSW Health.Whooping cough cases have been on the rise since 2023 and according to NSW Health, they are expected to continue to increase.The rate of whooping cough cases by month. The yellow line shows the rate of whooping cough in kids aged between 5 and 15.
"Anyone with respiratory symptoms should remain away from school and seek appropriate medical advice and testing," parents at one Sydney school were told.Whooping cough is also known as pertussis and is caused by the bacteriaNSW Health said whooping cough usually sees greater activity in the spring and summer.In 2020 and 2021, rates of whooping cough took a massive dip.
Whooping cough is spread when an infectious person coughs bacteria into the air which can be inhaled by people nearby.A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said the department does not collect data on cases of whooping cough in schools. Despite the surging numbers of young people contracting the infection, the Department of Education said it had not needed to send communications to schools specifically on whooping cough recently.