Health officials in Britain have expressed concern over the rise in whooping cough cases.

The British PA Media agency quoted the UK Health Security Agency as saying there were 553 new whooping cough cases in January alone.

This comes compared to 858 cases recorded throughout the entire year of 2023.

It is noted that whooping cough is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs and airways.

The symptoms initially resemble a common cold, but after about a week, patients suffer from coughing fits lasting several minutes, worsening at night.

The UK Health Security Agency said that case numbers were low during the pandemic due to reduced social mixing.

Officials warned that the increase in cases comes at a time when there has been a steady decline in whooping cough vaccination uptake among pregnant women and children.

Parents were urged to check their children's vaccination status against whooping cough, and the UK Health Security Agency reminded pregnant women to get vaccinated to protect their babies at birth.