Whooping cough vaccine now more accessible for pregnant women

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has announced that the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine is now available through HSC Trust antenatal clinics, making it more accessible for pregnant women. It will also continue to be available through GP practices.

This comes as Northern Ireland has seen an increase in cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, a highly contagious and sometimes serious bacterial infection which can make babies and young children in particular very ill. There have been 1,788 confirmed cases of the illness so far this year in Northern Ireland, compared with just two between 2021 and 2023.

Louise Flanagan, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, said: “We are urging pregnant women to get the pertussis vaccine to help protect their newborn babies after a significant rise in cases of whooping cough. Young babies are at greatest risk of developing more serious disease, so it is very important that women take up the offer of pertussis vaccine during each pregnancy so that their baby is protected against whooping cough after they are born.

“Whooping cough is a disease that can cause long bouts of coughing and choking, which can make it hard to breathe. The evidence shows that babies born to vaccinated mothers are 90% less likely to get the disease than babies whose mothers were unvaccinated.”

Women can have the vaccine from 16 weeks of pregnancy, and ideally between 20 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, but the vaccine can be beneficial even if given later than 32 weeks. Whooping cough vaccines are now available through HSC Trust antenatal clinics and at GP practices – speak to your midwife to find out more.

The whooping cough vaccine is also given as part of the childhood vaccination programme to children at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age and at aged 3 years 4 months. If you are unsure if your child is up to date with vaccinations, the easiest way to check is to look at your child’s red book or speak to your health visitor or GP practice.

Parents should be alert to the signs and symptoms of whooping cough, which include severe coughing fits accompanied by the characteristic ‘whoop’ sound in young children, and by a prolonged cough in older children or adults. It is also advisable to keep babies away from anyone showing the signs or symptoms of whooping cough.

Whooping cough can spread very easily. It is best to call your GP practice or GP Out of Hours service before you go in person. This will help to reduce it spreading to others. In an emergency, dial 999.

For further information on whooping cough and vaccinations visit www.pha.site/whooping-cough and www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/whooping-cough