Adult Immunisation Against Whooping Cough
The whooping cough vaccine for adults also contains diphtheria and tetanus protection in a combination vaccine.
Adults who should be vaccinated with whooping cough vaccine if they have not had a dose in the last 10 years include:
- childcare workers
- pregnant women from 20 weeks gestation, in every pregnancy
- any adult who wants to reduce their likelihood of becoming ill with whooping cough
- family members, grandparents and people in contact with infants less than six months of age, including other household members
- all adults aged 65 years and older
- adults needing a tetanus boost at any time, and at 50 years of age when tetanus boosting is recommended
- travellers
- people with a history of whooping cough infection people who have had whooping cough are still recommended to receive whooping cough vaccine as scheduled.
A booster dose of whooping cough vaccine is recommended for people who have not had one in the previous ten years. The vaccine takes about two weeks for immunity to develop after vaccination.
The following people should have a booster dose of whooping cough vaccine every ten years:
- all adults working with infants and young children less than four years of age
- all healthcare workers.
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.
Is The Whooping Cough Vaccine Required For Healthcare Workers
All healthcare workers should get one dose of Tdap vaccine. This helps protect the workers and their patients. This is especially true if the health care worker will be working with babies and pregnant women. There is no state law that requires healthcare workers to get the whooping cough vaccine, but some health care organizations have policies that require staff to be vaccinated. Check with your employer about your workplace vaccination policies.
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How Can I Protect My Newborn From Pertussis
Pertussis can be a dangerous disease for a new baby. Because of their small airways and the amount of mucus caused by infection with pertussis, babies have trouble breathing, often turning blue during their coughing spells. Every year in the U.S. about 20 children die from pertussis, most are young babies who have not been fully immunized.
There are several things that you can do to help protect your baby from pertussis. Babies get a vaccine to protect them from pertussis when they are 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months of age. They get an additional dose at 15 to 18 months. However, babies are most susceptible during their first few months of life either because they have not gotten the vaccine yet or because the dose they received did not fully protect them. During this time, you can protect your baby by making sure that all of the adults who will be around the baby are up to date on pertussis vaccine and are healthy, particularly that they are free of coughing illnesses.
Additionally, you can encourage hand washing before people touch the baby, and if anyone has a cough, try to limit the baby’s exposure to this person. Unfortunately, people are not only contagious in the first few weeks of the severe coughing stage, but also in the one- to two-week period leading up to cough onset. During this period, symptoms may resemble cold-like respiratory symptoms .
Why Are Pregnant Women Advised To Have The Vaccine
Getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant is highly effective in protecting your baby from developing whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life.
The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta and provide passive protection for them until they are old enough to be routinely vaccinated against whooping cough at 8 weeks old.
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Does Medicare Cover The Vaccine
Medicare Part D covers the cost of the adult vaccine for adults aged 65 and older. Since it’s a prescription drug benefit, coverage depends on the use of that benefit so far during the year. Call 1-800-633-4227 with questions about Medicare. Health care workers with questions should contact their patients’ Part D plan for Part D vaccine information.
What Are Diphtheria Tetanus And Pertussis
The diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine protects against:
- Diphtheria: a serious infection of the throat that can block the airway and cause severe breathing problems
- Tetanus : a nerve disease that can happen at any age, caused by toxin-producing bacteria contaminating a wound
- Pertussis : a respiratory illness with cold-like symptoms that lead to severe coughing . Serious complications can affect children under 1 year old, and those younger than 6 months old are especially at risk. Teens and adults with a lasting cough might have pertussis and not realize it, and could pass it to vulnerable infants.
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Problems That Could Happen After Getting Any Injected Vaccine
- People sometimes faint after a medical procedure, including vaccination. Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after receiving a vaccine can help prevent fainting, and injuries caused by a fall. Tell your healthcare professional if you or your child:
- Feels dizzy
- Has vision changes
- Has ringing in the ears
- Health departments
- Other community locations such as schools and religious centers
Federally funded health centers can also provide services if you dont have a regular source of health care. Locate one near you. You can also contact your state health department to learn more about where to get vaccines in your community.
When receiving any vaccine, ask the provider to record the vaccine in the state or local registry, if available. This helps healthcare professionals at future encounters know what vaccines you or your child have already received.
Who Should Not Get The Vaccine
You should not receive the vaccine if you have had:
- A serious allergic reaction to any of the vaccine ingredients in the past
- A coma or seizures within a week of receiving childhood vaccinations for pertussis , unless the vaccine was not the cause Td can be used in these cases.
If you have had any of the following, talk to your doctor about whether the Tdap or Td vaccine is right for you:
- Epilepsy or another nervous system problem
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- A history of severe swelling or pain after receiving a pertussis, tetanus, or diphtheria vaccination in the past
- If you are moderately to severely ill the CDC says you can still get the vaccine if you have a mild illness such as a cold or low-grade fever.
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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 .
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Which Whooping 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 called Boostrix IPV.
Boostrix IPV is similar to the 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 .
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Preparations Authorized For Use In Canada
Pertussis-containing vaccines
- ADACEL®, Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.
- ADACEL®-POLIO , Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.
- BOOSTRIX® , GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
- BOOSTRIX®-POLIO , GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
- INFANRIX®-IPV , GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
- INFANRIX®-IPV/Hib , GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
- INFANRIX hexaTM® , GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
- PEDIACEL® , Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.
- QUADRACEL® , Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.
In Canada, pertussis vaccine is only available as an acellular preparation in a combination vaccine. The amount of acellular pertussis antigen present varies by product. Preparations containing higher concentrations of acellular pertussis antigen are administered for primary immunization of infants and young children less than 7 years of age and may be administered as a booster for children 4 years to less than 7 years of age. Preparations containing a lower concentration may also be administered as a booster dose to children 4 years to less than 7 years of age and are the recommended product for older children, adolescents and adults .
For complete prescribing information, consult the product leaflet or information contained within Health Canada’s authorized product monographs available through the Drug Product Database. Refer to Table 1 Contents of Immunizing Agents Available in Canada in Part 1 for a list of all vaccines available for use in Canada and their contents.
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.
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The Whooping Cough Vaccine In Pregnancy: What You Need To Know
First published on Tuesday 12 July 2016Last modified on Wednesday 4 November 2020
Polly Logan-Banks
All pregnant women are advised to get the whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy, to protect their babies after the birth. But is the injection really safe? When should you have it? Does it hurt? We answer all the most common questions about the whooping cough vaccine.
This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.
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How Effective Is The Whooping Cough Vaccine
The whooping cough vaccine is highly effective when people get all the recommended doses. In children, DTaP protects:
- About 98 out of 100 children for at least a year after the fifth shot.
- About 7 out of 10 children for five years after the fifth shot.
In adults, Tdap protects:
- About 7 in 10 people for the first year after the shot.
- About 4 in 10 people for four years after the shot.
When pregnant women get Tdap, the vaccine protects:
- More than 3 out of 4 babies from getting whooping cough in the first 2 months of life.
- About 9 out of 10 babies from getting severe whooping cough infections that require hospitalization.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Pertussis vaccines protect children, teens and adults from whooping cough. Whooping cough is a respiratory disease that causes uncontrollable coughing fits followed by a whoop sound. In babies, whooping cough can lead to severe complications. All children, adults and pregnant women should get the whooping cough vaccine. Young children receive the vaccine as a series of five shots before age 7. Starting around age 11 to 12, teens and adults receive a booster pertussis vaccine every 10 years.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 06/25/2021.
References
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Does The Whooping Cough Vaccine Hurt Loads A Bit Scared
I’m 20 weeks pregnant so have got to have my whooping cough vaccine soon, going to book it at the GP tomorrow to just get it over with. Am not great with needles, though I have managed to have blood tests recently and although I was scared I have womaned up to them and they weren’t so bad. Can’t remember the last time I had an actual injection though. If you’ve had it, how bad was it? I would like to be prepared. Not worried about it hurting after it’s done, it’s more the actual moment of injection I am scared of.
I had the whooping cough in one arm and the flu jab in the other. The jabs didn’t hurt per se but my arms were a bit tender and achy. Nothing too terrible though.
It doesn’t hurt. Relax, don’t look. If you dig your nail very slightly into your arm – it’s not even as bad as that. Nothing to worry about. Honestly.
Try to relax your arm as much as possible and look away and take deep breaths or ask the nurse to distract you by talking. It did hurt a but but be brave and have chocolate ready for after Well done for having it done despite your fear
I’ll be brave, it is not about me now it’s about our baby so I’m doing it for her! Glad to hear it doesn’t hurt too much. Also just realised I posted this in childbirth rather than pregnancy, sorry!
When Should I Have The Whooping Cough Vaccine
The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby is from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy. This maximises the chance that your baby will be protected from 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.
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When Should Adults Be Vaccinated With Tdap
The CDC recommends the Tdap vaccine for all adults ages 19 and older who have never received the vaccine, especially:
- Health care workers who have direct contact with patients
- Caregivers of infants under 1 year old, including parents, grandparents, and babysitters
- Pregnant women in their third trimester , even if they have previously received Tdap vaccine this can protect a newborn from whooping cough in the first months of life.
- New mothers who have never received the Tdap
- People who travel to countries where pertussis is common
You may be given the Tdap vaccine if you have a severe cut or burn and have never received a dose before. Severe cuts or burns raise your risk for tetanus.
The Tdap vaccine can be given any time of the year. Only one shot is needed. It may be given with other vaccinations. Tdap can be given regardless of the interval since the last Td vaccine was given.
The Tdap vaccine can be used safely for those ages 65 and over, according to 2013 CDC recommendations.
Complications Of Whooping Cough
Whooping cough is most serious in babies under 12 months of age. In young babies less than six months of age, the symptoms can be severe or life threatening. Seek urgent medical attention if your child’s lips or skin go blue or if they are having breathing difficulties associated with the coughing. Some of the complications of whooping cough in young babies include:
- haemorrhage
- death.
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Pain After A Shot: Normal Site Reactions To Vaccines
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , in most cases vaccine side effects are minor and go away within a few days. Side effects vary according to vaccine type, such as flu, shingles, or pneumonia. Generally mild side effects of vaccines may include:
- Pain, redness, tenderness, or swelling at injection site
- Fatigue
What Are The Side Effects And Risks Of Tdap And Td
Like all medicines, vaccines can have side effects. However, the chance of a life-threatening reaction is small. The CDC says the dangers of developing pertussis, tetanus, or diphtheria far outweigh the risks of vaccination.
Mild side effects of Tdap may include:
- Pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given
- Mild fever
Mild side effects of Td may include:
- Pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given
- Mild fever
- Headache
In some people, these side effects may be more intense. They may temporarily interfere with daily activities. Severe swelling of the arm has been reported in three out of 100 people receiving either Tdap or Td. About one in 250 adults who receive the Tdap vaccine develop a fever of 102 F or higher.
During clinical trials of Tdap, two adults developed temporary nervous system problems. It’s unknown whether this was due to the vaccine or not. In rare cases, vaccination with Tdap or Td has led to extreme swelling of the arm where the shot was given.
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