Whooping cough: UK holidaymakers issued warning as 100-day cough cases surge in four new holiday hotspots in Europe

UK holidaymakers have been issued a travel warning as four popular holiday destinations across Europe are at the centre of a deadly 100-day whooping cough disease that has claimed the lives of two people. Two people have died after the bacterial infection spread through Greece. One of the fatal victims was an adult with underlying health conditions and a new-born baby also died.

The infection has spread through Greece with 54 cases recorded since the start of 2024. Thirty-two of the patients are said to have been children and teens, and 11 babies under the age of one were also affected, according to Ekathethimerini newspaper. 

Other countries across Europe are now battling a surge of infections of whooping cough including Croatia, Norway, the Netherlands and Spain. Greece's Health Minister, Eirini Agapidaki, has urged people to get vaccinated against the illness as cases continue to climb.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has confirmed that almost all of the cases were found in babies under the age of three-months. In a Communicable Disease Threats Report, the ECDC confirmed that cases were rising across the likes of Norway, Croatia, the Netherlands and Spain. 

It explained: "Pertussis [as whooping cough is also known] is an endemic disease worldwide, even in the presence of a programme with high vaccination coverage, with peaks in disease spread every three to five years. The current increase is potentially linked to lower circulation during the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with sub-optimal vaccination uptake in certain groups. Infants and young children who are too young to be fully vaccinated have also been affected, including several deaths."

A record-breaking number of cases were detected across Czechia this year - to the figure of 3,101 between January and March 2024. It's the largest number seen in 60 years.

Croatia saw 6,261 cases of pertussis between January 2023 and March 15 this year, while another 822 records of whooping cough were recorded in Denmark. Norway also saw 707 cases and the Netherlands witnessed 1,749. Spain also saw 5,242 cases up to March 2024.

Brits have recently been urged to 'stay at home' if they had confirmation of the illness. The 100-day cough can be difficult to spot due to its cold-like symptoms. The fast-spreading infection can cause a runny nose, high temperature and a sore throat. 

Parents have been warned that young infants could turn blue or grey after suffering from breathing difficulties. Meanwhile, another symptom has been listed as thick mucus, which could lead to vomiting, or turning red in the face which appears more to adults. Members of the public have been told to "stay at home and do not go into work, school or nursery until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or 3 weeks after symptoms start if they have not had antibiotics". Patients are more likely to struggle through the infection at night, with coughing bouts reported to last for up to a few minutes at a time.