Open access to ‘UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Pertussis Update’

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently presented a national update on Pertussis at the iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference on 3 July 2024. With UKHSA’s permission, we have now made the recording of this session ‘open access’ so it can be shared and viewed more widely with health visitors and health visiting team members across the UK.

UKHSA is calling on frontline clinicians to promote the uptake of the pertussis vaccine. Pregnant women should receive a pertussis-containing vaccination between 20- and 32-weeks’ gestation and with every pregnancy. Health visitors have a crucial role in discussing vaccinations with pregnant women and promoting vaccine uptake.

Watch the recording of the UKHSA Pertussis Update at iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference here.

In her presentation, Dr Helen Campbell (Lead Clinical Scientist at the UKHSA Immunisation team) highlights the clinical features of pertussis:

It is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs
Initial symptoms resemble a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat
After about a week, severe coughing bouts can develop, typically worse at night (known as the 100-day cough)
Young babies may make a distinctive ‘whoop’ sound or have difficulty breathing after coughing.

Helen shared a very powerful video which shows a young baby who is experiencing a long bout of coughing and whooping: https://youtu.be/S3oZrMGDMMw (WARNING: this video may be upsetting for some viewers).

New data published by UKHSA show a concerning increase in Pertussis cases:

May 2024: 2,591 confirmed cases
April 2024: 2,106 confirmed cases
March 2024: 1,427 confirmed cases
February 2024: 920 confirmed cases
January 2024: 555 confirmed cases

This brings the total number of cases from January to May 2024 to 7,599.

Sadly, there have been 9 infant deaths since the current outbreak began in November last year with one death in December 2023 and eight deaths between January and May 2024.

Young babies are at the highest risk of severe complications and death from pertussis. Evidence from England shows that vaccination at the right time in pregnancy is highly effective, giving 92% protection against infant death. However, the latest uptake data for the vaccination offered to pregnant women shows a decline:

March 2024: 58.9% coverage
March 2017: Peak coverage of 72.6%

Timely vaccination during pregnancy and in childhood is crucial to protect vulnerable and young babies from serious diseases. Babies should receive three doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine at 8, 12, and 16 weeks, followed by a pre-school booster. Health visitors have a vital role in:

recommending pertussis vaccination
checking vaccine status
providing guidance on where and when to obtain vaccinations
addressing any queries parents or caregivers may have.

For further information and to access UKHSA resources on Pertussis, click here.

UKHSA has recently published a powerful new blog post by Jenny, a parent who shares her terrifying experience of her three week old daughter, Layla and her struggle with pertussis.

Another fabulous conference! And call for abstracts for 2025!

Yesterday, we had an amazing day at the iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference 2024: A Healthier Future. We had a packed conference hall, with delegates and speakers joining from all UK nations, both in-person in Manchester plus many more online – there was an incredible buzz in the room! Our conference showcased the very best of health visiting practice and research. From start to finish, the event was packed with examples of the difference that health visiting can make, led by practitioners and with families at the heart of our work.

Alison Morton opens iHV EBP 2024

iHV EBP 2024

We would like to extend a huge heartfelt thank you to our delegates, our inspiring speakers – including our parent speakers who are experts by experience – our wonderful exhibitors and our generous sponsor – the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

UKHSA Sponsor stand at iHV EBP 2024

Dr Helen Campbell, Lead Scientist in the Immunisation Division at the UKHSA, opened our conference with the breakfast sponsor session by delivering a very important national update on pertussis. She shared data on the worrying rise of pertussis cases in infants in 2024 and called for health visitors to promote the uptake of the pertussis vaccine for pregnant women.

Dr Helen Campbell presenting the iHV EBP 2024 Sponsor Breakfast Session

Dr Helen Campbell, Lead Scientist in the Immunisation Division at UKHSA, giving the Sponsor Breakfast Session

With two plenary keynote sessions, eight concurrent sessions, plus two simultaneous oral breakout sessions, there was plenty for delegates to learn and enjoy. There were so many highlights from the day, here are just a few examples (there are too many to mention):

Keynote session one focused on tackling inequalities in both maternal mortality and racially-driven inequalities for babies and children. We were delighted to be joined by expert speakers from MBRRACE (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audit and Confidential Enquiries) and the NHS RHO (Race Health Observatory). This session also included a very powerful ‘armchair’ conversation with Lauren Clarke and Matt Wynter who are parents and experts by experience – they described their personal experiences of having serious neonatal jaundice missed due to poor recognition of the condition in babies with darker skin colour.
Keynote session two explored the evidence and research to reduce health inequalities. Professor Sally Kendall and Dr Erica Gadsby focused on health visiting research during the COVID-19 pandemic and Professor Helen Bedford shared the national data and research on vaccinations focusing on the vital role that health visitors play in improving vaccination uptake.
Alison Morton, iHV CEO, delivered the final keynote presentation on ‘Radical health visiting – driving change’ and shared 3 key messages – “Get real, get radical and get on!”
Chris Whitman and Hannah Potter, both from Leeds Community Healthcare, won best poster presentation for the oral breakout sessions following their successful abstract submissions. A huge congratulations once again from #TeamiHV!

Winners of the iHV EBP 2024 Poster Award: Chris Whitman and Hannah Potter, receiving their awards from Alison Morton

Our conference programme brought together local, national, and international experts and speakers who focused on strengthening health visiting practice. We explored together how we can build on the present to help shape the future of health visiting and tackle inequalities and improve outcomes for babies, children and families. The day was a huge success, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Some early conference feedback we have received so far includes:

“Really effective speakers – enjoyed the sessions and learned so much”

“Just totally absorbing”

“Really good to hear what’s happening around the country”

“Really good hearing what a diverse range of research that is going on in health visiting and public health”

“Go out there and be brave”

“Feel totally motivated and fired up. Exactly what was needed”

“It was just an excellent experience”

Call for abstracts 2025

If you would like to be part of our EBP conference next year on 8 May 2025 at King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester, our call for abstracts for iHV EBP Conference 2025: ‘Healthier Beginnings’ is now open! To find out more, click here.

We can’t wait to see you next year!

Join us at our iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference – A Healthier Future on 3 July 2024

We are very excited about our upcoming iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference – A Healthier Future, which will be held at Kings House Conference Centre in Manchester on 3 July 2024. At the Institute, we truly believe that “we are stronger together”. Join us for an inspiring day – connect as a professional group, learn together and grow our health visiting voice.

We have a fabulous line-up of expert speakers who will focus on addressing health inequalities – a topic that has never been more relevant, with more babies and children experiencing poorer outcomes and health inequalities widening. The event will focus on solutions as we look to the opportunities within health visiting to drive meaningful change. You can view our full programme here.

Our conference is designed to maximise your networking opportunities, enabling you to meet colleagues from across the UK, share best practices, and learn from the successes and experiences of others in our health visiting profession.

Delegates who attend in-person will also benefit from additional networking opportunities during the break times, with our wonderful array of exhibitors. Many of the exhibitors are partners on our innovative projects and have all been selected for their work and its benefits for health visiting practice. These experts are eager to share the latest evidence and research on a range of public health priorities, providing you with valuable resources and cutting-edge information.

In-person ticket sales close on 19 June. Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity to meet in-person with like-minded health visiting professionals. Click here to book your conference place now. (NOTE: an additional discount of 15% is applied when you book 5 or more tickets to help you attend as a group with colleagues from your team!)

If you can’t make it in-person, you can join the conference online with different benefits:

Skip travel costs and watch our conference from a location convenient for you
Watch our breakfast sponsor and keynote speakers live
Watch the most popular concurrent and breakout oral presentations live-streamed
Engage with speakers through our live Q&A sessions
Access our online conference resource page which will contain all the important information, slides and resources shared by our speakers

Online tickets will be available until the morning of the conference – book now to get the information you need in advance, or on the day.

Whether you attend in person or online, our conference is designed to foster connections, inspire collaboration, and equip you with new knowledge and skills to address key challenges in prevention and early intervention work, to reduce inequalities and improve access, experience and outcomes.

Don’t miss this opportunity!

Book your ticket today and join us for this unmissable event

We are indeed stronger together!