Whooping cough (pertussis) cases continue to increase and babies who are too young to start their vaccinations are at greatest risk.
1,319 new cases were confirmed in England during March 2024, compared with 858 cases for the whole of 2023. This follows 556 cases in January and 918 in February, bringing the total number of cases in 2024 to 2,793.
Young babies with whooping cough are often very unwell and at highest risk of severe complications, such as pneumonia and permanent brain damage. Sadly, in the first quarter of 2024 (January – March), five infants died from whooping cough.
If you are pregnant, you can help protect your baby by getting vaccinated – ideally from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks pregnant. The immunity you get from the vaccine passes to your baby through the placenta and protects them until they are old enough to be vaccinated at 8 weeks old. Updated estimates of vaccine effectiveness in pregnancy shows high levels of protection (92% as of 9 May 2024) against infant death.
The whooping cough vaccine has been administered during pregnancy for over 10 years, and getting vaccinated whilst pregnant is highly effective in protecting your baby from developing whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life. If for any reason you miss having the vaccine, you can still have it up until the end of pregnancy.
You can access a whooping cough vaccine from your GP surgery and through some antenatal clinics. You may be offered the vaccination at a routine antenatal appointment from around 16 weeks of your pregnancy.
If you are more than 16 weeks pregnant and have not been offered the vaccine, talk to your midwife or GP surgery and make an appointment to get vaccinated. For further advice on getting your whooping cough vaccinations in your area, speak with your local maternity service.
You can also check your child is up to date with their childhood vaccinations, including whooping cough, and if they have missed any they can catch up at the GP surgery at any time.
Read more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-to-support-whooping-cough-vaccination/whooping-cough-vaccination-in-pregnancy-guide
https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/whooping-cough-vaccination/