Why has there been a significant rise in cases of whooping cough?

There are higher levels of whooping Cough around Australia right now than we've seen in a decade, particularly in NSW and Queensland.

Queensland has seen over 7000 cases, up from 104 during the same period last year.

Is this just a natural part of the disease cycle for whooping cough? Or is there an immunisation gap we need to fix?

And what should you do if you, or a family member, comes down with the infection?