Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine - Whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy

All pregnant women can have the vaccine from week 16 of their pregnancy. It is better to have the vaccine between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. While you can still get the vaccine after 32 weeks, it may not provide the same level of protection for your baby. This is because it takes time for the vaccine to work. It is important to be vaccinated in every pregnancy, even if you have had the vaccine before.

If you did not have the whooping cough vaccine while you were pregnant, you can still have it in the eight weeks following the birth (until your child has their first routine dose). This will protect you and may prevent you from passing whooping cough on to your baby, although it will not directly protect the baby. If you are breastfeeding, there is no evidence of any risk to the baby caused by having the vaccine.

At eight weeks old, your baby will need to start having vaccinations for whooping cough as part of their NHS routine childhood immunisations. The whooping cough vaccine is offered to all babies as part of the NHS routine vaccination schedule.

The Routine immunisation schedules for Wales provides details about when your child’s vaccinations are due.

If you are pregnant, you can help protect your baby in their first weeks of life from this serious disease by getting vaccinated.

The vaccination programme has been in place since 2012 and is very effective at protecting babies against whooping cough from birth.

It is important you get the whooping cough vaccine as soon as possible once you become eligible (from week 16 of your pregnancy).

The protection your baby receives from you having the vaccine will wear off, so it is important you take your baby for their routine vaccinations.

Babies are offered the whooping cough vaccine as part of their childhood immunisation schedule starting at eight weeks of age. It is important they have all the whooping cough vaccinations offered to complete the full schedule to get a good level of protection.

It is important to be vaccinated against whooping cough every time you are pregnant.

The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta. The placenta is on the inside of your womb and links your blood supply with your unborn baby. This immunity will help protect your baby in the first few weeks of life when they are most vulnerable, up until they are old enough to have their first whooping cough vaccine at eight weeks.

The vaccine also protects you from getting whooping cough and lowers the risk of you passing it on to your baby.

There is no vaccine that only prevents against whooping cough. All whooping cough vaccines also contain diphtheria and tetanus. Depending on which vaccine you are offered, some may also contain polio. The vaccine given in pregnancy will be either:

• ADACEL® 
• Boostrix-IPV ®, or
• Repevax®.

If you have other young children, it is important to make sure that they are up to date with their vaccinations. This will help prevent them from getting whooping cough and passing it on to your new baby.

The Routine immunisation schedules for Wales provides details about when your child’s vaccinations are due.

There is no evidence that the vaccine offered during pregnancy is a risk to pregnant women, the pregnancy or the baby. It is not a live vaccine, so you cannot get whooping cough from it.

The vaccine you will be given has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Studies show no risks to pregnancy are caused by the vaccine. The rates of normal, healthy babies are the same for vaccinated and unvaccinated women.

The vaccine is highly effective and has an excellent safety record. Millions of doses are given worldwide.

There is no better way to protect your baby from whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life than the vaccination. The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta. The placenta is on the inside of your womb and links your blood supply with your unborn baby.

Your protection (from either having whooping cough or being vaccinated when you were young) may have worn off. Even if you are planning to breastfeed, not enough protection against whooping cough is passed on in the breast milk to protect your baby.

Getting vaccinated lowers your risk of being infected with whooping cough and the risk of passing whooping cough on to your baby.

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent severe illness from whooping cough. No vaccine is 100% effective, so it is still important to know the signs and symptoms of whooping cough, even if you or your child is vaccinated.

For more information about whooping cough, visit NHS 111 Wales.

Like all medicines, vaccines can cause side effects. Most of these are mild and don’t last long, and not everyone gets them. The most common side effects should only last a day or two.

Common side effects 

Some of the most common side effects in the first day or two are:

• swelling, redness or tenderness where you had the vaccine
• headache
• diarrhoea
• body aches or muscle weakness
• tiredness, and
• feeling unwell.

Very rare side effects  

Serious allergic reactions are very rare. These may include:

• rashes that may be itchy or form blisters
• a blue tongue or lips
• swollen eyes and face
• difficulty breathing or swallowing, and
• dizziness or losing consciousness.

Reactions like this may happen before you leave the doctor’s surgery. However, if you get any of these symptoms at any time after having the vaccination, you should contact a doctor immediately.

Reports of all side effects can be found in the patient information leaflet for the vaccine. For more information on side effects, go to:

• ADACEL®
• Boostrix-IPV®, or
• Repevax®.

If you or your child’s symptoms get worse or if you are concerned, contact NHS 111 Wales by calling 111, or contact your GP surgery. Calls to NHS 111 Wales are free from landlines and mobile phones.

You can report suspected side effects of vaccines and medicines through the Yellow Card scheme. You can do this online at Yellow Card, by downloading the Yellow Card app, or by calling the scheme hotline on 0800 731 6789 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).