It’s recommended that, for the time being, all pregnant women should get vaccinated against whooping cough (pertussis) when they are 28-38 weeks pregnant. This is a new recommendation, as there has been a sharp rise in the number of whooping cough cases in the UK.
Why should pregnant women have the whooping cough vaccine?
Is the whooping cough vaccine safe in pregnancy?
What is whooping cough?
Why do we need to protect against whooping cough?
Will the vaccine give me whooping cough?
When should I have the vaccine?
Can I have the whooping cough vaccine at the same time as the flu jab?
How can I get the vaccination?
I was vaccinated against whooping cough as a child, do I have to be vaccinated again?
Why does the patient information leaflet for Repevax say that it should not be used in pregnant women?
Why should pregnant women have the whooping cough vaccine?
Getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant may help to protect your baby from developing whooping cough in his or her first few weeks of life. The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta. Babies are not vaccinated against whooping cough until they are two months old.
Is the whooping cough vaccine safe in pregnancy?
There is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine is unsafe for mother or baby if used in pregnancy.
The vaccine, called Repevax, has not been clinically tested on pregnant women because clinical trials don’t usually involve pregnant women. For this reason, evidence on safety in pregnancy can be limited. A similar vaccine (without the component that protects against polio) has been used in America in pregnant women, and there is no evidence of risk to the health of the pregnant woman or the baby.
Repevax has been used in the UK childhood immunisation programme since 2004, and has an excellent safety record. All of the components in the vaccine have been given singly or in combination to pregnant women without any evidence of harm to the mother or her baby.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a serious bacterial infection that causes long bouts of coughing and choking, making it hard to breathe. After each bout of coughing, the person gasps for breath, making the distinctive ‘whoop’ noise. Babies don’t always make this noise. Other symptoms include a raised temperature, runny nose and vomiting after coughing. Whooping cough lasts for around two or three months, and is sometimes called the ‘100 day cough’.
Why do we need to protect against whooping cough?
Whooping cough is a serious illness. Babies who get it can develop severe complications such as pneumonia and brain damage. Most babies with whooping cough will need hospital treatment, and when whooping cough is very severe they may die.
There is a large outbreak of whooping cough in the UK at the moment, with three times more cases in the general population than there were last year. In the first seven months of this year, 235 babies under 12 weeks old had whooping cough. Sadly, 13 babies have died from whooping cough so far this year.
Babies who are too young to be vaccinated are at greatest risk.
Will the vaccine give me whooping cough?
The whooping cough vaccine is not a ‘live’ vaccine. This means it doesn’t contain whooping cough, and can’t cause whooping cough in women who have the vaccine, or in their babies.
A vaccine against only whooping cough is not available. It’s part of a combined vaccine that also protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. The other components in the vaccine will not place you or your baby at any additional risk, and will not give you any of these illnesses.
When should I have the vaccine?
The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby is between 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy, with between 28 and 32 weeks the ideal time. When you're vaccinated against diseases such as whooping cough, your body produces antibodies to protect against the disease. Being immunised between 28 and 38 weeks offers the best chance of your baby receiving as many anti-whooping cough antibodies as possible across the placenta.
You can still have the vaccine after 38 weeks but this may not protect your baby from whooping cough, as your body might not have enough time to produce the antibodies before your baby is born. However, being vaccinated after 38 weeks will help protect you from whooping cough and from passing it on to your baby.
You will only need one dose.
Whenever you have the vaccine, your baby will still need to be vaccinated as normal when he or she reaches two months old.
Can I have the whooping cough vaccine at the same time as the flu jab?
Yes, you can have the whooping cough vaccine when you get the flu vaccine, but do not delay your flu jab so that you can have both at the same time.
Pregnant women are at risk of severe illness from flu at any stage of pregnancy.
How can I get the vaccination?
You should be offered the vaccination at a routine antenatal appointment when you are between 28 and 38 weeks pregnant.
If you are already 28 weeks pregnant you may have your vaccination at your next routine appointment with your midwife. If you wish to have it sooner, you can make an appointment with your GP.
If you’re 28 weeks pregnant or more, and you haven’t heard from your midwife or GP about the whooping cough vaccine, contact them to discuss having the vaccination.
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. This means there’s little or no protection to pass on to your baby.
If you are vaccinated during your pregnancy and then get pregnant again, you will need to be vaccinated again in your new pregnancy between 28 and 38 weeks.
Why does the patient information leaflet for Repevax say that the vaccine should not be used in pregnant women?
This is because pregnant women are routinely excluded from clinical trials. It is not because there are any specific safety concerns or evidence of harm in pregnancy.
As pregnant women do not usually take part in clinical trials, there can be limited evidence on safety in pregnancy. Where there is limited evidence like this, it can be necessary to weigh up the risks and benefits of an intervention, such as a vaccine. Experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) looked into the risk of whooping cough in young babies, and looked into the available evidence on the whooping cough vaccine, and concluded that they had no concerns over the safety of the vaccine for the mother or her baby.
