Whooping cough vaccine

What the whooping cough vaccine is for

The whooping cough vaccine helps protect you and your baby against whooping cough, an infection that affects the lungs and breathing tubes.

Whooping cough spreads very easily and can be life-threatening for babies. It can also cause serious complications, such as seizures (fits) and pneumonia.

Babies are vaccinated against whooping cough as part of the 6-in-1 vaccine but they cannot have their first dose until they're 8 weeks old.

Getting vaccinated during pregnancy helps protect your baby until they can have their first 6-in-1 dose because some of the protection you get from the vaccine is passed on to your baby.

Who should have the whooping cough vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine is always recommended if you're pregnant. It's usually offered when you're around 20 weeks pregnant.

It's recommended for every pregnancy, even if you've had the vaccine before.

It's also recommended for healthcare workers to have a booster dose of the whooping cough vaccine every 5 years if they regularly work in maternity services or with babies aged under 3 months.

How to get the whooping cough vaccine

You'll be offered the whooping cough vaccine when you're around 20 weeks pregnant.

It's usually done at the same time as your 20-week screening scan but it can be done at any time from 16 to 32 weeks of pregnancy.

You can have it after you're 32 weeks pregnant, but it will not protect your baby as well. You and your baby get the best protection if you have it before 32 weeks.

If you're pregnant and have had your 20-week scan but not been offered the vaccine, speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor.

Eligible healthcare workers should be offered the vaccine through their employer. Speak to your employer if you think you're eligible for the vaccine but have not been offered it.

Who can and cannot have the whooping cough vacccine

Most people who are eligible for the whooping cough vaccine can have it.

You may not be able to have the vaccine if you've had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose of the vaccine or an ingredient in the vaccine.

Tell the person vaccinating you if you have a latex allergy. The main whooping cough vaccine given in the UK uses latex in the syringe, so you may need a different type.

Whooping cough vaccine ingredients

There are 3 types of whooping cough vaccine given in the UK. The main type is Adacel.

You can check the ingredients in the patient leaflets:

• Adacel vaccine patient leaflet (Electronic Medicines Compendium website)
• Boostrix-IPV vaccine patient leaflet (Electronic Medicines Compendium website)
• Repevax vaccine patient leaflet (Electronic Medicines Compendium website)

Side effects of the whooping cough vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine is given as an injection in your upper arm. Most side effects are mild and do not last longer than a few days.

Side effects can include:

• swelling, pain, a small lump or redness where you had the injection (redness may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
• a headache
• feeling achy or tired
• a rash
• diarrhoea
• feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)

More serious side effects, such as a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), are very rare. The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.

Is the vaccine safe for my baby?

Studies have shown the whooping cough vaccine is very safe to have during pregnancy, and there are no known risks to you or your baby from having it.

Having the vaccine during pregnancy is safer than the risk of your baby getting whooping cough.

How well the whooping cough vaccine works

When given during pregnancy, the whooping cough vaccine is around 90% effective in protecting babies against getting seriously ill before they can have their first vaccinations.