WHOOPING COUGH VACCINE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

Act now to protect your baby against whooping cough from birth

Whooping cough vaccination during every pregnancy boosts your antibodies which are then
passed to your baby to help protect them from the day they are born.

■ whooping cough (pertussis) can be serious for babies and may
lead to complications resulting in hospitalisation and even death.

■ you can help protect your baby against whooping cough in
their first weeks by having the whooping cough vaccine while
you are pregnant

■ you will normally have your whooping cough vaccine around
the time of your mid-pregnancy scan (usually 20 weeks) but you
can receive it from 16 weeks

■ vaccination in pregnancy provides very high levels of protection
against serious whooping cough disease to your baby until they can
have their first vaccine at 8 weeks of age

■ you need to have the whooping cough vaccine in every pregnancy
to boost the antibody you pass on to your baby. You should have the
vaccine in each pregnancy even if you’ve been vaccinated before or
have had whooping cough.

■ studies from the UK and other countries have shown the whooping cough vaccine
in pregnancy is very safe for you and your baby

■ if you have reached 20 weeks of pregnancy and have not yet been offered the whooping cough
vaccine, talk to your midwife or GP practice and make an appointment to get vaccinated

■ to stay protected your baby will still need to have their routine vaccines which start at 8 weeks of age