New vaccination effort after the triple smock

 

The coronavirus
The hostage situation about the triple smock - whooping cough and covid is increasing at the same time that Sweden has had mpox cases

Martin Palmborg

Updated 16.24 | Published 16.16

The number of cases of whooping cough has skyrocketed, at the same time as covid is increasing in the country.

And in the background lurks a new threat, the mpox virus.

- We will start the autumn vaccination effort in mid-October, which includes both the vaccine against covid-19 and the flu, says state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén.

Quick version

• The number of cases of whooping cough has increased sharply – up to and including July this year, 739 cases have already been confirmed, according to data from the Public Health Agency.
• Covid cases have also increased during the summer, with an expected increase this autumn, reinforcing the need for vaccinations that include both influenza and covid-19.
•  An mpox case has been confirmed in Sweden, but the risk of widespread spread is low; the authorities are monitoring the situation closely.

In May, the Public Health Authority went out and warned that whooping cough had skyrocketed, after being at relatively low levels.

The peak from the full year of 2017, at 805 reported cases, is the highest in the last ten years.

But up to and including July this year, 739 cases have already been confirmed, according to data from the Public Health Agency.

- The number of cases of whooping cough has increased sharply during the summer. The fact that the increase is so large now is largely due to the fact that we had very few cases during the pandemic years. When few are sick, immunity in the population decreases and now we see the consequences of that, says Magnus Gisslén, who is a state epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency as well as an infectious disease doctor and professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

The largest national group is infants, who in some cases can become seriously ill.

- Children receive their first vaccine dose when they are three months old and the vaccine provides good protection against serious symptoms. But pregnant women are also recommended to take the vaccine to give their babies protection during the first months of life, says Magnus Gisslén.

och nu ser vi konsekvenserna av det, säger Magnus Gisslén som är statsepidemiolog vid

State epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén holds a press conference with the Minister of Social Affairs to inform about the situation regarding mpox. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

The infection is expected to gain new momentum this autumn

The number of covid cases has also increased in the past month. Week 32 remained at the same level as week 31, when 630 new cases were registered in Sweden. It was an increase of eleven percent compared to week 30.