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Health authorities are calling for everyone — especially parents of young children — to receive vaccine shots against whooping cough amid a surge in cases.

More than 5,200 whooping cough cases have been confirmed this month alone, with some cities such as Daegu reporting record-high numbers. The total number of cases nationwide this year has reached 35,319.

Health officials and experts are sounding the alarm over the development, particularly over the risk it poses to the health of infants and young children. Recent outbreaks have placed significant strain on local pediatric clinics, which have become overwhelmed with an increasing number of young patients.

The national immunization program offers vaccines to children, but vaccinations are not required for adults. Experts say vaccinating parents and domestic workers could help prevent the spread of the disease, particularly in households with children too young to receive the shots.

The tragic death of a 2-month-old infant earlier this month — who had not yet reached the age for vaccination — has heightened concerns about the need for adults to get vaccinated. Some experts believe that if the adults caring for the infant had been vaccinated, the baby's immunity could have been passed on, potentially averting the fatal outcome.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has acknowledged the growing concern, saying that adult vaccinations are not included in the national immunization program and that many, as a result, are not aware of the need for the vaccines.

Currently, vaccination rates for children aged 6 and under are high, with 96.2 percent of children in Daegu, for example, receiving the whooping cough vaccine. However, since adult vaccinations are not part of the government's program, no similar data is available for the adult population.