A paediatrician at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has again urged parents to vaccinate themselves and their children against whooping cough.

Dr Jenny Royle, who runs the RCH Immunisation Centre, says the whooping cough epidemic in Australia is continuing.

She has urged parents to immunise their children on time.

“No-one should be getting their immunisation late. Everyone should be protecting their babies,” Dr Royle said.

Dr Royle said that while adults with whooping cough might experience a 100-day cough, for babies the illness was life-threatening.

“A baby with whooping cough can have such violent coughing fits that they lose consciousness from lack of oxygen,” she said.

Last year 27 children were admitted to The Royal Children’s Hospital with the illness. Already this year, there have been nine admissions.