Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced that frontline health workers who are in close contact with newborns and young babies will be offered free whooping cough immunisations in a bid to protect those most vulnerable to the disease.

"The number of whooping cough cases has risen markedly this year," says Mr Ryall. "Midwives, Plunket nurses, Well Child workers, practice nurses and GPs will all be offered free immunisations from 1 October in an effort to stop the disease being passed from adults to infants."

The Health Minister says the free immunisations are part of a sustained effort to reduce the severity of any potential whooping cough (pertussis) epidemic in New Zealand.  They are voluntary.

From January to August there have been 876 notified cases - more than four times higher than the total of 195 notified cases for the same period last year. A surge in cases is expected later this year or next year according to Ministry of Health officials.

Mr Ryall says whooping cough can be easily spread from adults to infants who may not yet have had all their immunisations.

"Babies who get whooping cough can become very ill and may not be able to feed or breathe properly. Many need to be hospitalised. The best way to protect babies is to make sure they get their immunisations on time at six weeks, three and five months."

"I am advised whooping cough is always circulating at low levels in our communities but our poor immunisation rates mean we get epidemics every three or four years.  If we had higher whooping cough immunisation rates, the number of very sick babies and children and the rates of disease would be much lower."