ALMOST 100 cases of whooping cough have emerged in Wagga since January 1, prompting healthcare professionals to issue warnings to get immunised. Parents and carers with babies are being urged to get immunised after it was revealed that 92 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Wagga and more than 250 cases have been reported in the Murrumbidgee area, according to director of public health covering Murrumbidgee Local Health District Tracey Oakman.The NSW health system has an immunisation policy for hospital staff working with babies and young children but no such policy can be found for childcare workers.The cases that have been reported in Wagga are from varying age groups and Mrs Oakman said that people might not be aware that the immunity you get from a whooping cough vaccine is not permanent."The immunity wears off and you can catch it again," she said."A lot of people who are getting it have actually been vaccinated as a child or teenager but are getting it again."A "cocoon strategy" is trying to be implemented where grandparents and parents of newborns are vaccinated after it was revealed that four to six per cent of infants hospitalised with whooping cough were infected by grandparents.Area manager of ABC Childcare Centres Jacqui Peters said the organisation's staff are encouraged to get vaccinated.She said that most staff opted to be vaccinated when free immunisations were offered by general practitioners recently.If an outbreak of whooping cough occurs, or there is a report of just one case, parents with children in ABC centres are alerted immediately.A representative from Family Day Care said that because carers are independent operators, no strict guidelines are enforced, but they are advised to see their general practitioner.