PREGNANT women and parents are being reminded to get their children vaccinated to stop another outbreak of whooping cough in Sussex.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of the virus across the county so far this year, which is close to the 134 recorded for the whole of last year.

The number has fallen since a major outbreak in 2012 when more than 500 people were affected but health bosses are concerned cases may spike again.

Public Health England (PHE) has said whooping cough activity remains at raised levels across the country.

Whooping cough is an acute respiratory infection, which usually begins with mild, cold-like symptoms that develop over one to two weeks into coughing fits that can be severe.

The cough can often last for two to three months.

However, whooping cough can also be fatal, particularly in young babies before they are protected by their first dose of vaccine at two months.

Mary Ramsay, PHE head of immunisation, said: “The latest figures show that whooping cough is still prevalent in England.

“It is important that pregnant women visit their GP surgery or midwife to get vaccinated, ideally between weeks 28 and 32 of their pregnancy.

“Being vaccinated against whooping cough while you’re pregnant is a highly-effective way to protect your baby in the first few weeks of their life.

“The immunity you get from the vaccine passes to your baby and provides them with protection until they are old enough to be routinely vaccinated against whooping cough at two months old.

“We encourage pregnant women to discuss the vaccination with their doctor or midwife at their next appointment.”

Pregnant women in the UK have been offered a whooping cough vaccine since October 2012 in response to the national outbreak.

PHE research discovered that babies born to women who were vaccinated at least a week before birth had a 91 per cent reduced risk of becoming ill with whooping cough in their first weeks of life, compared to babies whose mothers had not been vaccinated.