If you’re pregnant getting vaccinated gives your child the best protection against whooping cough. Getting vaccinated is quick and easy.
Vaccines can be given at an antenatal appointment from as early as 16 weeks and women remain eligible beyond 32 weeks until they give birth. The vaccine is usually offered to women after their 20-week scan
New data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows cases of whooping cough continue to rise.
Whooping cough cases have been rising across England, as well as in many other countries, since December 2023 due to a combination of factors. Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that peaks every 3 to 5 years. The last cyclical increase occurred in 2016. However, in common with other diseases, cases fell to very low numbers during the pandemic due to restrictions and public behaviours. A peak year is therefore overdue. The impact of the pandemic also means there is reduced immunity in the population.
Uptake of vaccinations that protect against whooping cough have fallen in recent years across the country – in both the programme for pregnant women and the infant programme. Timely vaccination in pregnancy and in infancy are both important to protect vulnerable young babies from serious disease.
If anyone in your family is diagnosed with whooping cough, it’s important they stay at home and do not go into work, school or nursery until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or 3 weeks after symptoms start if they have not had antibiotics. This helps to prevent the spread of infection, especially to vulnerable groups, including infants. However, vaccination remains the best protection for babies and children.
Find out more about whooping cough symptoms, vaccination and treatments at NHS.uk
Young infants are at highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough. Updated estimates of vaccine effectiveness in pregnancy shows high levels of protection (92%) against infant death.
When you have the whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy, your body produces antibodies to protect against whooping cough. These antibodies pass to your baby through the placenta giving them high levels of protection until they’re able to have their own whooping cough vaccination from 8 weeks old.
Women can still have the vaccine in late pregnancy but it may not be as effective because there is less time for protection from the mother to pass to their baby.
There are no safety concerns specific to having the vaccine during pregnancy.
What is Whooping Cough?
Whooping cough (medically known as pertussis) is a bacterial infection of the lungs and airways, which spreads very easily and can cause serious health problems for babies and young children. It 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 which means whooping cough can be hard to recognise.
Read more about whooping cough symptoms.
Will the whooping cough vaccine in 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.
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 current vaccine is called Boostrix IPV
Will my baby 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 be vaccinated according to the normal NHS vaccination schedule when they reach 8 weeks old. Babies are protected against whooping cough by the 6-in-1 vaccine
I was 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 protect your baby
I was vaccinated against whooping cough in a previous pregnancy, do I need to be vaccinated again?
Yes, you should get re-vaccinated in each pregnancy to maximise protection for your baby
If you are more than 20 weeks pregnant and have not been offered the vaccine, talk to your midwife or GP and make an appointment to get vaccinated
UK Health Security Agency 2024
For more information on vaccinations: Pregnant? Immunisation helps to protect you and your baby from infectious diseases (publishing.service.gov.uk)
