Who Should Not Get A Pertussis Vaccine
Some people may need to wait to get vaccines. If you or your child has a mild illness, such as a cold, you still may be able to get the vaccine. If you have a more severe illness, you may need to wait until you recover.
If you are not a good candidate for a pertussis vaccine, your healthcare provider will give you instructions and information about vaccination options. In general, people should talk to their healthcare provider if they have:
- Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder where your immune system attacks your nerves.
- History of serious allergic reactions to pertussis vaccines.
- History of severe pain, fever above 105 degrees Fahrenheit or swelling after a pertussis vaccine.
- Seizures or other nervous system diseases.
- Severe allergies to any vaccine ingredients.
How Does Whooping Cough Spread
Whooping cough spreads easily through the air when a person who has whooping cough breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Almost everyone who is not immune to whooping cough will get sick if exposed to it. A person can spread the disease from the very beginning of the sickness and for at least 2 weeks after coughing starts.
Since symptoms can be mild for some people, your baby can catch whooping cough from adults, grandparents, or older brothers or sisters who dont know they have the disease.
Will The Immunisation Definitely Mean My Baby Wont Get Whooping Cough
No vaccine guarantees 100% protection, but this is the most effective way to help protect your baby from whooping cough in their first weeks of life.
Evidence shows that immunising pregnant women in Scotland’s very effective at reducing the number of young babies getting whooping cough. Remember that the immunity they receive from you will wear off, so make sure you bring your baby for their routine immunisations at 8 weeks of age when they’ll receive their first dose of the whooping cough vaccine.
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Whooping Cough Vaccination In Pregnancy
Whooping cough 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 women can help protect their babies by getting vaccinated ideally from 16 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.
Causes Of Whooping Cough
The Bordetella pertussis bacterium is spread by airborne droplets from the upper respiratory tract and is highly infectious. The time from infection to appearance of symptoms is between six and 20 days. A person is infectious for the first 21 days of their cough or until they have had five days of a 10-day course of antibiotics. In countries where immunisation rates are high, the risk of catching whooping cough is low.In Victoria, most reports of whooping cough currently occur in adults over 20 years of age. Recent research has shown that family members, household contacts and carers are the main source of whooping cough infection in babies.
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Your Baby Is Most Likely To Catch Whooping Cough From Someone At Home
Researchers investigate reported cases of whooping cough to better understand the disease, including how it spreads. In some studies they have been able to identify how a baby caught whooping cough. They determined that in most cases, someone in the babys household, including parents and siblings, got the child sick. These studies also show that there are many other people that could get babies sick, including grandparents and caregivers.
Newborns Cannot Get The Whooping Cough Vaccine
In the United States, there are currently no whooping cough vaccines licensed or recommended for newborns. Therefore, babies do not get the whooping cough vaccine at birth. This leaves babies unprotected in the first few months of life. This is when they are at greatest risk for catching whooping cough and having severe, potentially life-threating complications from the infection.
The best way you can protect your baby is to:
- Have your baby get DTaP vaccines on time according to CDCs immunization schedule pdf icon starting at 2 months
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What Vaccine Is Given To Pregnant Women
The vaccine offered to pregnant women in the UK is called Boostrix-IPV. This is also used as a pre-school booster vaccine, and protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio as well as pertussis. The vaccine does not contain any live bacteria or viruses, and cannot cause any of the diseases it protects against.
Boostrix-IPV can safely be given to pregnant women at the same time as the flu vaccine. See the Patient Information Leaflet .
How Does It Work
After you are vaccinated, your body makes antibodies. These antibodies are shared with your unborn baby via the placenta. As a result, your baby will have enough antibodies to protect against whooping cough for the first few months, until your baby gets his or her first vaccination. The vaccine protects your baby, but it also protects you. You wont be able to get whooping cough or infect others.
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Whooping Cough Vaccine In Pregnancy
The whooping cough vaccine is given to pregnant women at 28 weeks in order to prevent the spread of this contagious disease and should not wait until its too late.The best way you can protect yourself against pertussis, or any other infection for that matter, begins by following your doctors guidelines on when starting vaccinations during pregnancy.
What Are The Symptoms Of Whooping Cough
Whooping cough usually starts with the following symptoms:
- Runny nose
- A pause in breathing in babies
Children and babies may then begin to develop these more serious problems:
- Coughing very hard, over and over. These coughing fits happen more at night.
- Gasping for breath after a coughing fit. They may make a whooping sound. This sound is where the name whooping cough comes from. Babies may not cough or make this soundthey may gag, gasp, or stop breathing.
- Difficulty breathing, eating, drinking, or sleeping.
- Turning blue from lack of oxygen.
- Vomiting after coughing fits.
Coughing fits can last for up to 10 weeks or more, and sometimes happen again the next time the child has a respiratory illness.
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Improving How Vaccines Are Offered In Scotland
To improve how vaccinations are offered to you or your child, you may notice:
- you’re invited to a new location to receive your immunisations instead of your GP practice
- the health professional giving your immunisations changes
You’ll still receive clear information about the location, date and time of your appointment.
Newborns Are Not Protected
Infants and young children are vaccinated against whooping cough. However, they cannot get their first vaccinations until they are a few months old. That means that newborns and very young infants are not yet protected against whooping cough during the first few months. And that is precisely when they are most vulnerable.
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Should Fathers Get Tdap Every Pregnancy
The flu and Tdap vaccines are important during pregnancy because they can protect both you, your partner , as well as the baby. You should get these shots anytime between 27-36 weeks into your pregnancy! If an adult has contact with any of those listed above then he/she needs to be vaccinated too this includes grandparents or caregivers who may have been around kids at some point in their lives too so everyone is potentially at risk for getting sick even though most people dont think itll happen while theres still time before Christmas arrives
Do I Need To Pay For Whooping Cough Immunisation
Vaccines covered by the NIP are provided at no cost for people who are eligible. See the NIP Schedule to find out which vaccines you or your family are eligible to receive.
Eligible people get the vaccine at no cost, but your health care provider may charge a consultation fee for the visit. You can check this when you make your appointment.
Pregnant women can get the whooping cough vaccine at no cost through the National Immunisation Program.
If you are not eligible to receive the vaccine at no cost, you may need to pay for it. The cost depends on the type of vaccine, the formula and where you buy it from. Your immunisation provider can give you more information.
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Is The Vaccination Safe
Its understandable to worry about these things, but there is no evidence that the whooping cough vaccine is unsafe for you or your unborn baby. The whooping cough vaccine has been used in the UK since 2012 and there have been no safety concerns reported for mothers or their babies.
A large study of around 20,000 vaccinated women found no evidence of an increased risk of stillbirth, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia or any other pregnancy complications.
Other Parents Or Guardians
All parents or guardians should be vaccinated before the baby is born if they have not received a pertussis-containing booster in the past 10 years.
The vaccine should be given to parents or guardians early in the third trimester of the pregnancy. This allows time to develop an effective immune response before the baby is born. The vaccine can be provided up to the time when the baby turns 6 months of age.
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How Long Does Whooping Cough Vaccine Last
The whooping cough vaccine takes about two weeks for immunity to develop after vaccination. Adults working with children less than four years old are also recommended a booster dose every ten years, while healthcare workers need it even more regularly at least once in their career- which is why they should contact an expert if uncertain as this could put others health at risk!
Cocooning May Help Protect Your Baby From Whooping Cough
Encourage others to get a whooping cough vaccine at least 2 weeks before meeting your baby if they are not up to date with their whooping cough vaccines.
It is true that cocooning may indirectly protect your baby from whooping cough, but it might not be enough to prevent whooping cough illness and death. This is because cocooning does not provide any direct protection to your baby, and it can be difficult to make sure everyone who is around your baby has gotten their whooping cough vaccine. Since cocooning does not completely protect babies from whooping cough, it is even more important that you get the vaccine while you are pregnant you will pass some short-term protection to your baby until he can get his own vaccine.
Cocooning, in combination with getting a whooping cough vaccine during your pregnancy and making sure your baby gets his vaccines on time, provides the best protection possible to your baby.
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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Whooping Cough Immunisation
All medicines and vaccines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time theyre not.
For most people, the chance of having a serious side effect from a vaccine is much lower than the chance of serious harm if you caught the disease.
Talk to your doctor about possible side effects of whooping cough vaccines, or if you or your child have possible side effects that worry you.
Common side effects of whooping cough vaccines include:
- pain, redness, swelling or hardness where the needle went in.
The Consumer Medicine Information links in How do you get immunised against whooping cough? list the side effects of each vaccine.
Your Vaccine During Pregnancy Could Affect Your Babys Response To His Vaccine
There is a chance that your babys immune response to the first few doses of his DTaP vaccine may not be as strong after you get your whooping cough vaccine while pregnant. However, based on a recent study looking at this issue, this interference does not seem to cause any problems when it comes to protecting your baby. Researchers are still working to better understand this issue. The benefits of you getting the vaccine while pregnant outweigh this potential risk. Babies younger than 2 months old only have the antibodies they get from their mother to help protect them. Any protection that you can provide at this age is critical because young babies are most vulnerable to severe disease and death from whooping cough.
When you get your vaccine while pregnant, it is still critical that your baby gets all his vaccines according to the recommended schedule pdf icon.
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How Can I Protect My Child From Whooping Cough
The best way to protect your child from whooping cough is through on-time vaccination. Ensure your whole family has up-to-date whooping cough vaccinations too. The more people who are vaccinated in a community, the harder it is for the infection to spread. This is especially important if you or your partner are planning a pregnancy or are pregnant.
Babies need to be vaccinated at 6 to 8 weeks of age, and again at 4 months and 6 months before they are sufficiently protected against the disease. This is why they are particularly vulnerable before they reach the age of 6 months. Boosters should be given at ages 4 and 15 for the best protection during childhood.
Whooping Cough Immunisation Service
Whooping cough vaccines are given as a needle and are only available as a combination vaccine. They can be provided by a variety of recognised immunisation providers. If you’re eligible, you can get the whooping cough vaccine for free under the National Immunisation Program .
- Listen
Find information that will help you deliver your service to your patients
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Is The Vaccine Safe In Pregnancy
It’s understandable that you might have concerns about the safety of having a vaccine during pregnancy, but there’s no evidence to suggest that the whooping cough vaccine is unsafe for you or your unborn baby.
Pertussis-containing vaccine has been used routinely in pregnant women in the UK since October 2012, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is carefully monitoring its safety. The MHRA’s study of around 20,000 vaccinated women has found no evidence of risks to pregnancy or babies.
To date, around 69% of eligible pregnant women have received the whooping cough vaccine with no safety concerns being identified in the baby or mother.
A number of other countries, including the US, Argentina, Belgium, Spain, Australia and New Zealand, currently recommend vaccination against whooping cough in pregnancy.
Whooping Cough Vaccine For Grandparents
Mums need to get their whooping cough and flu shot at least two weeks before meeting a newborn. Grandparents are also vital in making sure theyre up-to date on the all vaccinations for parents of new babies, especially during an outbreak or if theres been vaccination shortage like last year when over 20 million Americans did not receive any shots due to issues with manufacturers NOT being able produce enough vaccine because it takes 9 months from conception until we can store vaccines after production through eggs whereas Im told most other countries store them as soon as possible without having this delay time period between manufacturing cycles.
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Antibiotics May Help Reduce The Severity Of The Illness If Started Very Early
If whooping cough is diagnosed during the first 3 weeks of the infection, your doctor may prescribe a course of antibiotics. This helps to prevent the bacteria from spreading to other people. If started early, antibiotics can reduce the amount of time you are infectious to others from about 3 weeks to 5 days.
Antibiotics may help make the illness less severe if they are taken very early in your illness, before the cough starts. Even then, they may make only a small difference.
Whooping Cough Vaccine Side Effects
The possible side effects of whooping cough vaccine may include fever, redness and soreness where the injection was given or swelling. More serious reactions are rare but can result in severe allergic reaction symptoms like difficulty breathing, hives on your skin that break out into blisters , vomiting caused by an extreme form release chemicals released during digestion called syndrome d immediate type II lobar pneumonia characterized by rapid fatigue following infection with group b Streptococcus bacteria.
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Tetanus Diphtheria Pertussis Vaccine
- This vaccine is offered to all students in Grade 9. This is a booster dose for children immunized against these diseases at a younger age.
- The Tdap vaccine can also be given to children 7 years of age and older who have not been fully immunized, and to adults or immigrants who have not been immunized or whose immunization history is unknown.
- People born in 1989 or later who missed their adolescent dose of Tdap are eligible for one free dose of this vaccine.
- A booster dose of the Tdap vaccine is recommended for adults who were immunized in childhood but is not provided for free in B.C.
- Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that all pregnant people get the pertussis vaccine in every pregnancy to help protect the baby after birth. Learn more about the Tdap vaccine and pregnancy in our pregnancy section.
What Are Prevention Strategies For Whooping Cough Without The Vaccine
The whooping cough vaccine is safe and recommended for most adults. However, some people with certain medical conditions may not be able to get the vaccine.
If your doctor advises you not to get the vaccine, here are some steps you can take to lower your risk of contracting the infection:
- Practice good hand hygiene, by washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time.
- Avoid close contact with people who show signs or symptoms of whooping cough.
- Encourage other members of your household to get the whooping cough vaccine.
If someone in your household has been diagnosed with whooping cough, let your doctor know. In some cases, they might encourage you to take preventive antibiotics. This may help lower your chances of contracting the infection.
People whove received the vaccine can also use these prevention strategies to further reduce their chances of getting whooping cough.
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