BBC
By Rob Cameron,
BBC News, Prague
March 17, 2024
Whooping cough is on the rise across Europe, and the Czech Republic is no exception. However, a week marked by confusion surrounding official guidance and a controversial public appearance by Prague’s mayor has left some wondering if anything was learned from Covid-19.
In the first week of January, say the Czech authorities, there were 28 registered cases of whooping cough.
That figure now stands at 3,084 – a number not seen since 1963.
Sufferers include the 80-year-old mayor of Prague, Bohuslav Svoboda, who is an MP as well as an eminent gynaecologist.