Immunisation – Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Vaccine
The chances of catching whooping cough, a very serious and potentially life threatening disease, are markedly reduced by ensuring you and your family are fully immunised (this includes booster shots for adults). The rapid increase of whooping cough in the community has taken most people by surprise and there is now an increased awareness about the disease in the broader community and a campaign to address the increasing rates of infection by encouraging more people to get the whooping cough vaccination.
New outbreaks are occurring on a fairly regular basis and thousands of Australians get the disease every year. In fact, around 30,000 cases were reported in Australia in 2009.
Whooping cough can be particularly severe in babies under 6 months of age. Rates of infection in this group are quite high; approximately 21% of all reported cases are of babies younger than 6 months. Sadly, in Australia around 0.5% of those babies who become infected with whooping cough will die each year.
Find out what to look for and how you can help your baby avoid catching whooping cough, and then decide if you would like to proceed with the vaccine for your bub.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough is a bacterial illness that initially affects the nose and throat. The infection then goes on to cause more mucus to develop, which creates the cough that may have the very identifiable ‘whoop’.
Whooping cough starts with similar symptoms to a common cold:
- A runny nose,
- Sore watery red eyes,
- A low-grade fever and
- A general feeling of being unwell.
A swab test from the back of the throat may confirm a case of whooping cough. An early diagnosis can mean quick treatment using antibiotics and thus less chance of spreading the disease. Symptoms may also be reduced by early treatment.
If the disease is left untreated an irritating cough will develop that can leave the patient gasping for breath and making the ‘whooping’ noise. It’s not uncommon for vomiting to occur after a bout of coughing as a child chokes on the mucus. Some babies may not cough, but simply stop breathing for a period of time. It is the inability to breath that causes the most problems for babies and can contribute to the cause of death in some infants.
Worldwide, approximately 250,000 people die every year from whooping cough and many more are left chronically unwell; this is not a disease to be taken lightly.
You can hear a small child with the identifiable sound of whooping cough on this audio file.
How is Whooping Cough Spread?
Why the sudden increase in infection rates?
A change to the type of vaccine used in Australia in 1997 may be part of the answer. Recent research conducted at NSW University indicates that the newer acellular vaccine targets specific strains of the disease rather than the older vaccine which provided broader protection against the many strains of Pertussis. It appears that the Whooping Cough bacteria may have mutated. More research is being conducted so that the best vaccine can be delivered. Stay tuned…
Whooping cough is spread very easily through airborne droplets containing the bacteria.
Simply put, if your unimmunised baby is near someone who coughs or sneezes while they are in the infectious stage of the disease, it’s extremely likely that they will contract the disease.
Of course, stay well away from anyone you know that may be carrying the disease as whooping cough is very contagious.
A newly infected person will usually start to display symptoms around 7-10 days after coming into contact with the disease.
Baby Vaccination for Whooping Cough
It is recommended that all Australian babies receive their government funded immunisation against whooping cough at 2, 4 and 6 months and then again as part of the 4 year old schedule. Your baby will not be immunised until after at least 2 or 3 doses of the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.
See the Australian Immunisation chart for further information.
As with most vaccines, the whooping cough vaccine will not absolutely guarantee that your baby will not get whooping cough. It will always be better for you and your baby to avoid contact with someone suspected of carrying the disease.
Who else should be immunised?
It is recommended that all persons who come into contact with young babies and children have a booster immunisation to help prevent the spread of the disease. In addition to childcare workers and nurses, you may like to consider having the booster shot for whooping cough yourself.
Immunisation is recommended for:
- Women and their partners who are planning to get pregnant
- Mothers who have not had a booster should have an immunisation shortly after the birth of their baby
- Siblings older than 14 years of age who received the vaccine as part of the childhood schedule
- Grandparents and other family members
- Childcare workers, baby sitters and nannies
- Health care workers
- Any person who has not already been immunised
Whooping Cough and Pregnancy
It is not recommended that pregnant women receive the whooping cough (Pertussis) vaccine while they are carrying their baby. If you haven’t received a booster prior to falling pregnant, it’s recommended that you receive the vaccine as soon as possible after your baby is born.
Resources
National Health and Medical Research Council
ABC – Health and Wellbeing News
Parenting and Child Health
National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance
Whooping Cough Information Website
Article supplied by Lauraine Worthington from Ambrad Consulting – Digital Marketing Solutions. www.ambrad.com.au:
