Australia's childhood vaccination rate against whooping cough has fallen to a 10-year low after a record rise in cases. The country recorded more than 57,000 cases in 2024, the highest number since monitoring began in 1991. The number of cases remains higher than usual in 2025. Immunization coverage of 15-month-olds reached only 91.16% in 2024-25, compared to a peak of around 95% in 2020-21. Australia provides free routine pertussis vaccination to children, adolescents and pregnant women. The announcements for 2026 are not yet alarming, but experts have noted a drop in vaccinations of at least 10%. Childhood infectious disease specialist Archana Koirala of the National Center for Immunization Research and Monitoring in Sydney has highlighted the long-term impact of this decline.