An illustration of Bacteria Bordetella pertussis which causes whooping cough. Photo: 123RF
Suspected and confirmed cases of whooping cough have reached 127 in Samoa.
Samoa's deputy director general of health, Dr Robert Thomsen, said 14 cases were confirmed and 113 suspected between September and December 16.
Dr Thomsen told RNZ Pacific that the extent of the outbreak should become clear later this week.
"We are expecting to receive samples that were sent to New Zealand for analysis, by the end of the week" he said.
He said that 42 percent of the cases so far involved infants under a year old, eight percent one to two months old and the remainder younger than two.
Just over half of the infants have needed hospital care for the highly contagious virus.
He said whooping cough usually begins with flu-like symptoms and can last for up to five days.
"These include general malaise and a running nose and as it worsens, a fever and distinctive, severe hacking cough."
Samoa's vaccination programme has been highly successful, and 95 per cent of infants aged between six weeks and 15 months have now been vaccinated.
Efforts are underway to introduce vaccines for adults at a huge cost.
