What Are The Side Effects
Most children dont have any side effects from DTaP or Tdap. The side effects that do occur are usually mild, and may include:
- Redness, swelling, or pain where the shot was given
- Fever
More serious side effects are very rare but with DTaP can include:
- A fever over 105 degrees
- Nonstop crying for 3 hours or more
- Seizures
Some preteens and teens might faint after getting Tdap or any other shot.
To prevent fainting and injuries related to fainting, adolescents should be seated or lying down during vaccination and remain in that position for 15 minutes after the vaccine is given.
- Whooping cough is a very serious respiratory infection.
- It is caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria.
- It can cause violent coughing fits.
- Whooping cough is most harmful for young babies and can be deadly.
Can Adults Get Whooping Cough From Babies
Children and adults can also get whooping cough, but are unlikely to need hospitalisation. Many babies who get whooping cough catch it from older children or adults who might not even know they have the infection. Whooping cough is sometimes treated with antibiotics. There is an immunisation for whooping cough.
Symptoms Of Whooping Cough
Whooping cough begins with symptoms similar to those of a cold. These can rapidly progress to include:
- severe cough occurs in bouts
- characteristic ‘whooping’ sound on inhalation
- vomiting at the end of a bout of coughing
- apnoea the child stops breathing for periods of time and may go blue.
A person with these symptoms may also have poor appetite, fatigue and dehydration. The person may appear normal between bouts of coughing. During the recovery, the cough gradually decreases, but can last up to three months.
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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.
Breastfeeding May Pass Some Protective Antibodies Onto Your Baby
You can pass some whooping cough antibodies to your baby by breastfeeding. By getting a Tdap vaccine during your pregnancy, you will have these antibodies in your breast milk as soon as your milk comes in. However, your baby will not get protective antibodies immediately if you wait until your baby is born to get the vaccine. This is because it takes about 2 weeks for your body to create antibodies. Learn more about the health benefits of breastfeeding.
Footnote
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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
How Much Does The Whooping Cough Vaccine Cost
In the United States, the cost of the Tdap vaccine depends on whether or not you have health insurance coverage. Government-funded federal health centers also offer vaccinations, sometimes with a sliding scale fee based on your income. State and local health departments can often provide information on how to access free or low-cost vaccinations.
Most private health insurance plans provide coverage for some or all of the cost of the vaccine. Medicare Part D also provides some coverage for vaccination. However, you might face some charges depending on the specific plan that you have.
If you have health insurance, contact your insurance provider to learn if your insurance plan covers the cost of the vaccine. If you dont have insurance, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or state or local health departments to learn how much the vaccine will cost.
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How Do I Spot 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 vomiting after coughing, and the characteristic “whoop” sound.
If you are worried your baby may have whooping cough, contact your doctor immediately.
Read more about whooping cough vaccination in the leaflet Whooping cough and pregnancy from Public Health England.
What Are The Dangers Of Whooping Cough For Babies
Whooping cough can be serious for anyone, but for your newborn, it can be life-threatening. Up to 20 infants die each year from whooping cough in the United States. About half of babies younger than 1 year who get whooping cough need treatment in the hospital. The younger the baby is when they contract whooping cough the more dangerous it is.
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Possible Risks Of Dtap Immunization
The vaccine can cause mild side effects: fever mild crankiness tiredness loss of appetite and tenderness, redness, or swelling in the area where the shot was given.
Rarely, a child may have a seizure, a high fever, or uncontrollable crying after getting the vaccine. But these sorts of side effects are so rare that researchers question whether they’re even caused by the vaccine. Most kids have a few minor or no side effects.
What Do You Suggest Expecting Parents Do If Family Members Are Hesitantor Outright Refuseto Get Vaccinated
I personally take a strong stanceif a family member is not willing to get vaccinated, I dont let them near my children until my kids have been adequately vaccinated and are a bit older .
The issue of vaccines should be brought up the same way that an expecting parent speaks to family members about other illnesses.
Just as you would ask them to wash their hands, check themselves for signs/symptoms of illness , anyone wanting to be close to a newborn should be willing to vaccinate themselves against infections that could seriously harm the baby.
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What Types Of Diphtheria Tetanus And Whooping Cough Vaccines Are There
A combination vaccine contains 2 or more vaccines in a single shot in order to decrease the number of shots given.
The Food and Drug Administration licensed 12 combination vaccines for use in the United States to help protect against diphtheria and tetanus. Nine of these vaccines also help protect against whooping cough. Some of the vaccines include protection against other diseases as well, including polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b disease, and hepatitis B.
- DT and Td provide protection against diphtheria and tetanus.
- DTaP provides protection against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.
- Tdap provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough.
Upper-case letters in these abbreviations mean the vaccine has full-strength doses of that part of the vaccine. The lower-case d and p in Td and Tdap means these vaccines use smaller doses of diphtheria and whooping cough. The a in DTaP and Tdap stands for acellular, meaning that the whooping cough component contains only parts of the bacteria instead of the whole bacteria.
Adult Whooping Cough Vaccine Benefits And Side Effects
It is suggested that anyone coming in close contact with your baby be vaccinated at least two weeks before exposure this includes grandparents, siblings, and even babysitters. Infants and children have a much higher risk of being infected by whooping cough, which makes it even more important for caregivers to be up-to-date on their Tdap vaccine.
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Whooping Cough Vaccine Brands
The vaccines used in this program are Boostrix® or Adacel®. These vaccines contain a reduced antigen formulation for adults and adolescents combining diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis antigens.
The only absolute contraindication to these vaccines are a history of anaphylactic reaction to any of the vaccine components.
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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How Does Tdap Protect Newborns
When you get vaccinated during pregnancy, your body creates antibodies to fight the disease, and those antibodies are passed to your developing baby. The antibodies will help protect your baby for a short time after they are born until they can get vaccinated themselves. Getting Tdap during pregnancy also makes it less likely that you will have whooping cough during the time when your baby is most 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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Why Should My Child Get A Whooping Cough Shot
- Helps protect your child from whooping cough, a potentially serious and even deadly disease, as well as diphtheria and tetanus.
- Helps prevent your child from having violent coughing fits from whooping cough.
- Helps protect your newborn when she is most vulnerable to serious disease and complications.
- Keeps your child from missing school or childcare and you from missing work.
What Are The Possible Side Effects
Most people who get a vaccine that helps protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough do not have any serious problems with it. With any medicine, including vaccines, there is a chance of side effects. These are usually mild and go away on their own within a few days, but serious reactions are possible.
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Why Is This Vaccine Recommended For Pregnant Women
In 2012 the UK experienced a nationwide outbreak of pertussis , a highly infectious disease that can cause serious complications including death, especially in young babies. In 2012 there were over 9,300 cases in England alone more than ten times as many as in recent years. The causes of this are not clear. In the years since 2012 there has been a fall in cases, but numbers are still high compared to the years before the 2012 epidemic . 14 babies under three months old died of pertussis in 2012, and another 18 died between 2013 and 2016. There were no deaths from pertussis in 2017, and no deaths in the first nine months of 2018. Babies under three months of age are most vulnerable to severe disease.
Vaccination of mothers can protect babies from pertussis. In the UK, a temporary programme began in October 2012 to offer pertussis vaccination to pregnant women. In July 2014 it was recommended that this programme should continue for at least 5 more years, owing to continuing high levels of pertussis in the UK. A similar programme is now offered in the US, Australia, and some other European countries. Around 70% of pregnant women in England currently receive the whooping cough vaccine. Out of the 18 babies who have died of pertussis since the start of 2013, 16 were born to mothers who had not been vaccinated against pertussis.
How Long Is The Whooping Cough Vaccine Good For
Older children and adults should also receive a pertussis booster, even if fully immunized as an infant and child. The antibodies created after immunization become less effective within six to ten years from the last dose. This recommendation was made after observing an increase in the number of severe cases of pertussis associated with exposure to infected and minimally symptomatic teenagers and adults.
The Tdap vaccine is routinely recommended to all adults and is now given instead of the old tetanus booster that did not contain pertussis. Adults and adolescents usually have mild symptoms with pertussis infections but can often expose young infants and children who may not be completely protected by vaccination. Pregnant women should get a dose of Tdap during every pregnancy in order to protect the newborn from pertussis.
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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.
What Causes Whooping Cough
Whooping cough is caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. It is passed on through close personal contact with someone who has whooping cough, sneezing and coughing.
The bacteria infect the lining of the airways, mainly the windpipe and the 2 airways that branch off from it to the lungs . There is a build-up of thick mucus. This mucus causes the intense bouts of coughing as the body tries to cough it up.
The bacteria also cause the airways to swell up, making them narrower than usual. As a result, breathing is made difficult, which causes the ‘whoop’ sound as the person gasps for breath after a bout of coughing.
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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.
Vaccinate To Protect Your Baby
All infants, children, adolescents, and even adults need to ensure that they are vaccinated appropriately. Infants are most at risk for severe, life-threatening complication from whooping cough. Unlike adults, infants are suggested to have five doses of DTaP, a vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Babies should have the DTaP vaccine at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months, and 4-6 years.
Babies should not get the DTaP vaccine if they are moderately or severely ill or had a life-threatening allergic reaction to the initial DTaP vaccine. Talk to your doctor if your child had the following reactions after a dose of DTaP:
- Had a seizure or collapsed
- Cried nonstop for three hours
- Had a fever over 105 F
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When To Delay Or Avoid Dtap Immunization
Simple colds or other minor illnesses should not prevent immunization, but your doctor might choose to reschedule the vaccine if your child has a more serious illness.
Talk to your doctor about whether getting the vaccine is a good idea if your child had any of the following after an earlier DTaP shot:
- a brain or nervous-system problem, like coma or seizures
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- severe pain or swelling of a whole arm or leg
Your doctor might give a partial vaccine or no vaccine, or may decide that the benefits of vaccinating your child outweigh the potential risks.
Urgent Advice: See A Gp Urgently Or Call 111 If:
- your baby is under 6 months old and has symptoms of whooping cough
- you or your child have a very bad cough that is getting worse
- you’ve been in contact with someone with whooping cough and you’re pregnant
- you or your child has been in contact with someone with whooping cough and have a weakened immune system
Whooping cough can spread very easily. It’s best to call the GP before you go in. They might suggest talking over the phone.
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