Whooping cough (pertussis)rates have risen sharply in recent years and babies who are too young to start their vaccinations are at greatest risk.
Young babies with whooping cough are often very unwell and most will be admitted to hospital because of their illness. When whooping cough is particularly severe, they can die.
Pregnant womencan help protect their babies by getting vaccinated – ideallyfrom16 weeks up to 32 weeks pregnant.If for any reason you miss having the vaccine, you can still have it up until you go into labour.
Why are pregnant womenadvised to have the whooping cough vaccine?
Getting vaccinated while you're pregnantis highly effective in protecting your baby from developing whooping cough inthefirst few weeks of their life.
The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta and provide passive protectionfor them until they are old enough to beroutinely vaccinated against whooping coughat 8 weeks old.
When should I have the whooping cough vaccine?
The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby from whooping cough is from16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy. This maximises the chance that your baby will be protectedfrom birth, through the transfer of your antibodies before he or she is born.
If for any reason you miss having the vaccine, you can still have it up until you go into labour. However, this is not ideal, as your baby is less likely to get protection from you. At this stage of pregnancy, having the vaccination may not directly protect your baby, but would help protect you from whooping cough and from passing it on to your baby.
Is the whooping cough vaccinesafe in pregnancy?
It'sunderstandable that you might have concerns aboutthe safety ofhaving a vaccineduring pregnancy, but there's no evidence to suggest that the whooping cough vaccine is unsafe foryouor your unborn baby.
Pertussis-containing vaccine (whooping cough vaccine)has been used routinely in pregnant women in the UK since October 2012, and theMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)is carefully monitoringits safety.
TheMHRA's study ofaround 20,000 vaccinated women published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found no evidence of risks to pregnancy or babies.
A number of other countries, including the US, Argentina, Belgium, Spain, Australia andNew Zealand, currently recommend vaccination against whooping coughin pregnancy.
Read more about why vaccines are safe and important.
Iswhooping cough vaccination in pregnancy working?
Yes, it is. Published research from the UK vaccination programme shows that vaccinating pregnant women against whooping cough has been highly effective in protecting young babies until they can have their first vaccination when they are 8 weeks old.
Babies born to women vaccinated at least a week before birth had a 91% reduced risk of becoming ill with whooping cough in their first weeks of life, compared to babies whose mothers had not been vaccinated.
An additional benefit is that the protection the mother receives from the vaccination will lower her own risk of infection and of passing whooping cough on to her baby.
Whichwhooping cough vaccine will I be given?
As there is no whooping cough-only vaccine, the vaccine you'll be given also protects against polio, diphtheria and tetanus.The vaccine is calledBoostrix IPV.
Boostrix IPVissimilar tothe 4-in-1 vaccine – the pre-school booster that's routinely given to children before they start school.
You can read the manufacturer's patient information leaflet for Boostrix IPV (PDF, 132kb).
What are theside effectsof the whooping cough vaccine?
After having the whooping cough vaccine, you may have some mild side effects such as swelling, redness or tenderness where the vaccine is injected in your upper arm. This is normal after having a vaccine and it should only last a few days.
Other side effects can include a high temperature, irritation at the injection site, nausea and loss of appetite, tiredness and headache. Serious side effects are extremely rare.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough (medically known as pertussis)is a serious infection that causes long bouts of coughing and choking, making it hard to breathe. The "whoop" is caused by gasping for breath after each bout of coughing, though babies do not always make this noise.
Read more about whooping cough symptoms.
ShouldI be concerned aboutwhooping cough?
Whooping cough is a highly infectious, serious illness that can lead topneumonia and brain damage, particularly in young babies. Most babies with whooping cough will need hospital treatment, and when whooping cough is very severe they may die.
Research from the vaccination programme in England shows that vaccinating pregnant women against whooping cough has been highly effective in protecting youngbabies until they can receive their own vaccinations from 8 weeks of age.
In keeping with usual disease patterns, which see casesincreasing every 3 to 4 years in England,whooping cough cases have fallen in all age groups since 2012. The greatest fall has been in young babies targeted by the pregnancy vaccination programme.
Cases of whooping cough in older age groups are still high compared to pre-2012 levels. The number of caseswas particularly high in 2016, in line with the typical 3- to 4-yearly peak in disease rates.
Babies can be infected by people with whooping cough in these older age groups, so it is still important for pregnant women to be vaccinated to protect their babies.
Butare babies not vaccinated against whooping cough to protect them?
Yes, they are, but the babies that have been getting whooping cough are generally too young to have started their normal vaccinations, so they are not protected against the condition.
So, how can I protect my baby against whooping cough?
The only way you can help protect your baby from getting whooping cough in their first few weeks after birth is by having the whooping cough vaccination yourself while you are pregnant.
After vaccination, your body produces antibodies to protect against whooping cough. You will then pass some immunity to your unborn baby.
Willthe whooping cough vaccinein pregnancy give me whooping cough?
No. The whooping cough vaccine is not a "live" vaccine. This means it does not contain whooping cough (or polio, diphtheria or tetanus), and cannot cause whooping cough in you, or in your baby.
Will mybaby still need to be vaccinated against whooping cough at 8 weeks if I've had the vaccine while pregnant?
Yes. Whenever you have the whooping cough vaccine, your baby will still need to bevaccinated according to the normal NHS vaccination schedule whenthey reach 8 weeks old. Babies are protected against whooping coughby the 6-in-1 vaccine.
CanI have the whooping cough vaccine at the same time as the flu jab?
Yes, you can have the whooping cough vaccine when you get the flu vaccine, but do notdelay yourflu jab so that you can have both at the same time.
Howcan I get the whooping cough vaccination?
The vaccine is available from your GP, though some antenatal clinics also offer it. Youmay beoffered the vaccination at a routine antenatal appointment from around16 weeks of your pregnancy.
If you are more than16 weeks pregnant and have not been offered the vaccine, talkto yourmidwife or GP and make an appointment to get vaccinated.
Iwas vaccinated against whooping cough as a child, do I need to get vaccinated again?
Yes, because any protection you may have had through either having whooping cough or being vaccinated when you were young is likely to have worn off and will not provide sufficient protection for your baby.
Iwas vaccinated against whooping cough in a previous pregnancy, do I need to be vaccinated again?
Yes, you should get re-vaccinated from16 weeks in each pregnancy to maximise protection for your baby.
Howdo Ispot whooping cough in my baby?
Be alert to the signs and symptoms of whooping cough, which include severe coughing fits that may be accompanied by difficulty breathing (or pauses in breathing in young infants) or vomiting after coughing, and the characteristic "whoop" sound. Young babies might not make the "whoop" sound.
If you are worried your baby may have whooping cough, contact your doctor immediately.
