MORE than a dozen patients were diagnosed with whooping cough after visiting accident and emergency across north and west Cumbria last year, new figures suggest.

Experts blame poverty and falling vaccination rates for a surge in diseases such as measles, whooping cough and scabies across England.

NHS figures suggest around 15 patients were given a primary or secondary diagnosis of whooping cough after visiting A&E in north and west Cumbria in the year to March.

Meanwhile, there were no hospitalisations for the condition recorded a year earlier.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection, characterised by a persistent cough.

There were a further 10 hospitalisations for scabies across the region, a skin rash caused by mites.

The figures are rounded to the nearest five, and are not available for when there are seven hospitalisations or fewer.

Across England, attendances ultimately resulting in a measles diagnosis rose five-fold to 2,305 visits last year – although none of these were in Cumbria.

Among ailments with at least 1,000 hospitalisations, this was the largest increase of any condition across England.

Last year also saw the number of whooping cough diagnoses in A&E triple, with 1,696 for the year across the country.

Meanwhile, scabies cases rose by 66 per cent, with 5,661 primary and secondary diagnoses.

Gwen Nightingale, assistant director of Healthy Lives at the Health Foundation, said poverty may impact the spread of these diseases.

"Not having enough income to sustain a basic standard of living can have a negative impact on health, through factors like cold, damp homes or an inability to access healthy foods. The stress of living on a low income can also negatively impact health," she added.

"The Government has a choice as to whether it wants to perpetuate the current numbers of families living in poverty."

She urged the Government to ensure people have adequate incomes, good-quality affordable housing, and access to green spaces to limit the spread of these diseases.

The UK Health Service Authority said the rise in measles hospitalisations could be a "canary in the coalmine" for falling vaccination rates.

A spokesperson added: "In addition to measles, many children are also missing out on protection against other serious diseases, including whooping cough, meningitis, diphtheria and polio. It is especially tragic to see kids suffer when these diseases are so easily preventable."

Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccination and screening, said: "These worrying figures highlight that too many children are still not fully protected against diseases like measles and whooping cough, which can cause serious illness but are preventable.

"Vaccines are parents’ best defence against these illnesses – that’s why the NHS offers them free, saving thousands of lives and preventing tens of thousands of hospital admissions every year."

Mr Russell urged parents to check their child's vaccination records, and to get in touch with their GP to book one if needed.