booster (ADT) already during pregnancy? If you had a tetanus vaccination for a wound and the vaccine didn't have whoopin
If I’ve had whooping cough disease do I still need the vaccine?
What if I’ve had a tetanus booster (ADT) already during pregnancy?
Yes. Immunity from the disease is not lifelong and wears off over time.
If you had a tetanus vaccination for a wound and the vaccine didn’t have whooping cough in it, you should still have a whooping cough vaccination to provide protection against whooping cough for your newborn.
Where can I get immunised? The whooping cough vaccine is free for pregnant women in their third trimester. It is available through your GP, some council immunisation clinics and some antenatal clinics.
What else can I do to protect my baby from whooping cough?
Will my baby still need to be vaccinated against whooping cough at six weeks if I had the vaccine while pregnant?
Your baby should have all their whooping cough vaccines on time at six weeks, four months, six months and 18 months old.
Yes. Even if you got the whooping cough vaccine, your baby will still need to be vaccinated for whooping cough when they get to six weeks old.
Anyone who will have close contact with your baby should also be immunised.
Where can I get more information?
This includes the other parent, grandparents, carers and any other adult or child who will have close contact with your baby in the early weeks of life.
Call the Public Health Hotline – Tasmania on 1800 671 738 to speak to a clinical nurse consultant.
They should have the vaccine at least two weeks before starting close contact with your baby.
5 June 2015
The vaccine is not free for other close contacts but they can get one at their doctors with a script.
Can the vaccine be given at the same time as a flu vaccine? Yes. Flu vaccine should be given with every pregnancy, at any time during the pregnancy and is also free. Photo: Mahalie Stackpole
Whooping Cough Vaccination in Pregnancy
What is whooping cough? Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious infection of the nose and throat. It is spread by coughing and sneezing or direct contact with infected secretions from the nose and mouth.
When is the best time during my pregnancy to get the whooping cough vaccine? The best time to get the whooping cough vaccine is between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
Outbreaks of the disease occur every four to five years. Those most at risk from the disease are babies less than six months of age, particularly those less than three months old.
This is because it takes two weeks for you to make antibodies and the antibodies don’t pass across the placenta until 30 weeks of pregnancy.
Why vaccinate pregnant women?
Can I still get the vaccine if I am over 32 weeks pregnant?
It helps protect the mother – Whooping cough vaccine reduces the risk of the mother catching whooping cough and passing it to her newborn baby. Parents are a common source of whooping cough infection for children under 12 months old. It helps protect the baby – Babies born to mothers who have had a whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy have higher levels of antibodies against the disease than babies whose mothers were not vaccinated. This is because the antibodies made by the mother in response to the vaccine are passed to her baby across the placenta soon after vaccination and until delivery. The mother’s antibodies in the baby can help protect the newborn during the first months of life when they are most at risk of severe whooping cough infection and still too young to be vaccinated themselves.
Is the vaccine safe in pregnancy? Yes. There is no evidence to suggest this vaccine will cause any harm to you or your unborn baby. If you had the vaccine in the past, having it again may make your arm feel sore for a couple of days.
Are there people who should not get the vaccine?
Whooping cough vaccine can be given at any time during the third trimester.
Talk to your doctor if you have ever had a lifethreatening allergic reaction after a dose of any whooping cough, tetanus, or diphtheria containing vaccine, or if you have a severe allergy to any part of this vaccine.
However, ideally it is given between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
Your doctor will let you know if it is safe for you to have the vaccine.
Do I need the vaccine with each pregnancy?
Can I get whooping cough from the whooping cough vaccine?
Yes.
No.
As your immunity gets less over time it is better to have the vaccine again with each pregnancy to make sure the antibodies can be passed across to your baby.
Whooping cough vaccines won’t give you or your baby whooping cough.
Yes.
What vaccine is available for pregnant women in Tasmania? Adacel® is the free whooping cough vaccine for pregnant women.
If I had the vaccine in high school do I need it in pregnancy? Yes. You still need to be vaccinated during pregnancy. Even if you had Boostrix® or Adacel® before, your immunity gets less over time and may not be enough to protect your baby.
