If I’ve had whooping cough
disease do I still need the
vaccine?
What if I’ve had a tetanus
booster (ADT) already during
pregnancy?
Yes. Immunity from the disease is not lifelong
and wears off over time.
If you had a tetanus vaccination for a wound
and the vaccine didn’t have whooping cough in
it, you should still have a whooping cough
vaccination to provide protection against
whooping cough for your newborn.
Where can I get immunised?
The whooping cough vaccine is free for
pregnant women in their third trimester. It is
available through your GP, some council
immunisation clinics and some antenatal clinics.
What else can I do to protect my
baby from whooping cough?
Will my baby still need to be
vaccinated against whooping
cough at six weeks if I had the
vaccine while pregnant?
Your baby should have all their whooping
cough vaccines on time at six weeks, four
months, six months and 18 months old.
Yes. Even if you got the whooping cough
vaccine, your baby will still need to be
vaccinated for whooping cough when they get
to six weeks old.
Anyone who will have close contact with your
baby should also be immunised.
Where can I get more
information?
This includes the other parent, grandparents,
carers and any other adult or child who will
have close contact with your baby in the early
weeks of life.
Call the Public Health Hotline – Tasmania on
1800 671 738 to speak to a clinical nurse
consultant.
They should have the vaccine at least two
weeks before starting close contact with your
baby.
5 June 2015
The vaccine is not free for other close
contacts but they can get one at their doctors
with a script.
Can the vaccine be given at the
same time as a flu vaccine?
Yes. Flu vaccine should be given with every
pregnancy, at any time during the pregnancy
and is also free.
Photo: Mahalie Stackpole
Whooping Cough
Vaccination in
Pregnancy
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a
highly contagious infection of the nose and
throat. It is spread by coughing and sneezing or
direct contact with infected secretions from
the nose and mouth.
When is the best time during my
pregnancy to get the whooping
cough vaccine?
The best time to get the whooping cough
vaccine is between 28 and 32 weeks of
pregnancy.
Outbreaks of the disease occur every four to
five years. Those most at risk from the disease
are babies less than six months of age,
particularly those less than three months old.
This is because it takes two weeks for you to
make antibodies and the antibodies don’t pass
across the placenta until 30 weeks of
pregnancy.
Why vaccinate pregnant women?
Can I still get the vaccine if I am
over 32 weeks pregnant?
It helps protect the mother – Whooping
cough vaccine reduces the risk of the mother
catching whooping cough and passing it to her
newborn baby.
Parents are a common source of whooping
cough infection for children under 12 months
old.
It helps protect the baby – Babies born to
mothers who have had a whooping cough
vaccine in pregnancy have higher levels of
antibodies against the disease than babies
whose mothers were not vaccinated.
This is because the antibodies made by the
mother in response to the vaccine are passed
to her baby across the placenta soon after
vaccination and until delivery.
The mother’s antibodies in the baby can help
protect the newborn during the first months of
life when they are most at risk of severe
whooping cough infection and still too young
to be vaccinated themselves.
Is the vaccine safe in pregnancy?
Yes.
There is no evidence to suggest this vaccine
will cause any harm to you or your unborn
baby.
If you had the vaccine in the past, having it
again may make your arm feel sore for a couple
of days.
Are there people who should not
get the vaccine?
Whooping cough vaccine can be given at any
time during the third trimester.
Talk to your doctor if you have ever had a lifethreatening allergic reaction after a dose of any
whooping cough, tetanus, or diphtheria
containing vaccine, or if you have a severe
allergy to any part of this vaccine.
However, ideally it is given between 28 and 32
weeks of pregnancy.
Your doctor will let you know if it is safe for
you to have the vaccine.
Do I need the vaccine with each
pregnancy?
Can I get whooping cough from
the whooping cough vaccine?
Yes.
No.
As your immunity gets less over time it is
better to have the vaccine again with each
pregnancy to make sure the antibodies can be
passed across to your baby.
Whooping cough vaccines won’t give you or
your baby whooping cough.
Yes.
What vaccine is available for
pregnant women in Tasmania?
Adacel® is the free whooping cough vaccine for
pregnant women.
If I had the vaccine in high
school do I need it in pregnancy?
Yes. You still need to be vaccinated during
pregnancy. Even if you had Boostrix® or
Adacel® before, your immunity gets less over
time and may not be enough to protect your
baby.