Pregnant women should be vaccinated for whooping cough before baby is born, expert urges

Description

PREGNANT women should be vaccinated against whooping cough before their baby is born to protect them from the potentially deadly illness, a leading diseases expert says.

 

Telethon Kids Institute’s Dr Tom Snelling is calling for new measures to protect newborns against Australia’s next epidemic, which could be even larger without new strategies.

Dr Snelling also recommends that before a new baby is born their siblings should get a booster, if they have not had a jab in three years.

 

Children get free pertussis shots at two, four and six months of age and boosters at four and between 10 and 15 years but Dr Snelling also advocates an additional booster shot at 18 months. He said Australia should follow UK and US moves to provide a clear recommendation to pregnant women to vaccinate during pregnancy and get shots for their families.

 

His recent study found if both parents were vaccinated before their baby’s birth, it halved their child’s chance of getting whooping cough.

 

“Studies from our group suggest that young infants can be indirectly protected by vaccinating their parents, although to be maximally effective this needs to occur before delivery,” he said.