A 400 per cent increase in whooping cough cases across NSW has alarmed but not surprised a Dubbo grandmother who battled to find and buy vaccine in January.
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On Thursday she told the Daily Liberal of being shocked at the 12,240 whooping cough notifications in NSW in 2015, quadruple the notifications in 2014.
Fairfax Media reported that one of the worst whooping cough outbreaks in the state coincided with low vaccine stocks in the private market.
NSW Health's director of communicable diseases Dr Vicky Sheppeard explained outbreaks were cyclical because the vaccine did not provide long-lasting immunity to the disease.
But she acknowledged vaccine set aside for pregnant women had diminished its availability to others.
"We have distributed 120,000 doses of the vaccine to GPs for pregnant women," Dr Sheppeard said.
"That has put a strain on the vaccine manufacturers, so they've then had a challenge to have enough supply for people who want to purchase it."
Babies cannot be vaccinated for whooping cough in the first six weeks of their life.
The infant death toll from whooping cough has not risen since pregnant women took up the offer of free vaccines.
The Dubbo grandmother, who asked for anonymity, sought the vaccine in the lead-up to visiting a newborn.
During January she contacted GP surgeries and pharmacies, one of them unable to get the vaccine in the previous six months.
One Dubbo pharmacy offered the grandmother a $90 vaccine, offering protection against four diseases including whooping cough.
Eventually she purchased a $60 vaccine for whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus from a Narromine outlet.
Told of the 62-year-old woman's battle to source the vaccine, a Western NSW Local Health District spokeswoman said there was "no significant health risk to the community as there is good herd immunity coverage".
"Our main message is that people who may have any signs of illness to avoid close contact with newborn babies and their families, whether they are vaccinated or not," she said.
On Thursday the NSW Opposition demanded the state government make a bigger effort to increase vaccinations.
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner pointed to policies such as "No Jab No Play" and highlighted the 93.3 per cent of children were fully vaccinated by the age of five.
The Dubbo grandmother said she was relieved to have been vaccinated.
"But I think it is important that stocks are replenished and made available immediately," she said.
Whooping cough cases in NSW in 2016 have bumped notifications in the current outbreak to 15,375, with Sydney's northern beaches identified as a hot spot.
