5:30 am today

Whooping cough death highlights failures in healthcare system - Māori paediatrician

5:30 am today
An illustration of Bordetella pertussis which is a Gram-negative, aerobic, pathogenic, encapsulated coccobacillus of the genus Bordetella, and the causative agent of pertussis or whooping cough.

Photo: 123RF

The death of a baby from whooping cough highlights systemic failures in the healthcare system, a leading Māori paediatrician says.

Health New Zealand confirmed on Thursday that an infant died over the Christmas period after contracting pertussis (commonly known as whooping cough), which is highly contagious and can cause serious harm to babies.

It is the first death since an epidemic was declared in November, after cases spiked to levels not seen since 2018.

"Rather unsurprisingly it was a Māori baby, who lived in a rural area, and where it was difficult to access healthcare," paediatrician Dr Owen Sinclair (Te Rarawa), who is chair of the National Immunisation Taskforce, said.

Māori were disproportionately affected by the disease, with "shocking immunisation rates" leading to over-representation in hospital admissions, he said.

Until babies were old enough, they relied on protection against whooping cough from their mothers, who could be vaccinated during pregnancy from 16 weeks.

Sinclair said he understood the mother was unable to get immunised.

Health New Zealand said it did not comment on clinical details of cases.

The whooping cough vaccination was highly effective at preventing death and serious illness, however rates were dropping nationally and were the lowest they had ever been for Māori, Sinclair said.

"It's difficult, particularly [for] those who live remotely."

While resources were still being targeted towards at-risk populations, concern around health staffing levels remained, he said.

In December, RNZ reported on funding cuts to an immunisation programme for pregnant Māori and Pasifika people and their babies in South Auckland, which in the two years to April had helped nearly double the coverage for local Māori mums-to-be.

Part of the issue was awareness, Sinclair said.

Most hapū māmā would walk past a pharmacy where they could be immunised on the spot, he said, and he believed more would take up the opportunity if they were aware of the risk factors from whooping cough.

Kaupapa Māori organisation Ngāti Pāoa Health and Social Service, E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services, expressed "deep sadness at the loss of a pēpi".

"We grieve for the whānau of this pēpi who have lost a future rangatira and tautoko what has been shared in that one loss is too many," it said in a statement.

So far E Tipu E Rea had received no confirmed cases of whooping cough.

Mana amorangi/chief executive Zoe Witika-Hawke said the organisation had offered the vaccine to entire whānau, at its own expense.

"We go to these lengths because we know what's required to improve vaccine rates in our community, but it also highlights the urgent need for funding a whole whānau approach in the first 2000 days."

What to do if you suspect your child has whooping cough

Health NZ said whooping cough in pēpi was unpredictable and could get worse very quickly. Parents should also seek urgent medical advice if their pēpi:

  • Stops breathing
  • Goes blue with coughing
  • Appears to have a cold, then cough and have difficulty breathing
  • Gets exhausted from coughing
  • Is not able to feed properly because of coughing and difficulty breathing
  • Loses weight because of difficulty feeding and because the cough causes them to vomit.

For more information, or help to book a vaccination, parents could call the Vaccination Healthline free on 0800 28 29 26 (8:30am-5pm Monday to Friday) or visit info.health.nz/bookavaccine.

Anyone with a cough for two weeks or more, or a cough that ends with a 'whoop' sound or vomiting, should seek medical advice by contacting a doctor or calling Healthline for free on 0800 611 116.

Anyone who was having difficulty breathing should call 111 and get help immediately.

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