Parents Caitlin and Reece have bravely shared their tragedy after their daughter Evie-Grace died after contracting whooping cough – and issued a warning over the horrific symptoms
The heartbroken parents of a 15-day-old baby who tragically died after contracting whooping cough have described her final days less than one week after the tragedy.
Reece Lewis and his girlfriend Caitlin have shared the “unreal” difference in their daughter’s condition after she rapidly deteriorated. Evie-Grace tragically passed away days ago, but her parents bravely shared their experience in the hopes of helping others detect the frightening symptoms.
Little Evie-Grace is one of the five babies who sadly died after being struck by the horrific bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, this year. It comes as England has continued to see a devastating surge in cases, with reports that cases at the start of this year have more than trebled compared to the entire of 2023.
Reece said that their daughter was “perfectly fine” for the first few days after her birth, but then things suddenly changed. Speaking about their daughter’s death, Reece told ITV: “It was around day seven when we really started to worry. What the worrying sign is when they are coughing, going bright red and going silent.”
He further explained: “That’s what Evie is doing. The first cough would be a normal cough, and then she would go silent and you could hear that she’s so blocked up that she couldn’t get the cough out, she’s struggling to breathe and going bright red.” Caitlin added: “And then she was bringing up loads of sucressions.”
Reece spoke about her final moments and said: “In the last two to three days, of her life, it was when it really went bad and she just deteriorated so quickly – it was unreal.” Reece said that he knew that Caitlin had the injection for whooping cough but wasn’t fully aware of what it was needed for. Unfortunately, despite taking preventative measures, Evie-Grace still contracted the deadly virus.
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. Unfortunately, it can spread really easily and might first appear to show up as a cold. Below are further signs you can look out for.
Symptoms
- Runny nose
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Red and watery eyes
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Sore throat
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Raised temperature
Intense bouts of coughing usually appear a week later after the inital symptoms. The NHS states: “Between coughs, you or your child may gasp for breath – this may cause a ‘whoop’ sound, although not everyone has this. The strain of coughing can cause the face to become very red, and there may be some slight bleeding under the skin or in the eyes.”
In total, five infants in England died between January and the end of March after being diagnosed with the infection. So far this year, more than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across the UK. In just March alone, 1,319 cases were flagged to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam warned that anyone can be hit by the infection. They said: “Vaccination remains the best defence against whooping cough and it is vital that pregnant women and young infants receive their vaccines at the right time. Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but for very young babies it can be extremely serious. Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby.”
Frequently asked questions about whooping cough
Q: Why is whooping cough so bad?
A: Whooping cough spreads because patients with it can be infectious of up to three weeks. It is also known as the “100-day cough” because of how long it can take to recover from.
Half of cases this year have been in the under-15s, with the highest rates in babies under three months of age, for whom it is particularly dangerous. The NHS says babies under six months are at increased risk of dehydration, breathing difficulties, pneumonia and seizures.
Q: What is causing the current UK outbreak?
A: Whooping cough is a cyclical disease which peaks every three to five years. Infections have surged since December 2023. The last big increase was in 2016 before the pandemic reduced social contacts so we are due a bounce back.
Vaccination uptake fell with rates among pregnant women down from more than 70% in 2017 to 58% in 2023. The number of two-year-olds who completed their routine six-in-one vaccinations, which includes protection against whooping cough, was 92.9% in 2023 compared with 96.3% in 2014.
Q: Who can get vaccinated and when?
A: The NHS recommends pregnant women are vaccinated between 16 and 32 weeks. Immunity from the jab passes through the placenta to protect babies in their first weeks. When a baby is eight weeks old, they are offered the six-in-one vaccine which protects against whooping cough. More doses are offered at 12 and 16 weeks with a booster after three years. Find out more vaccine information here.
