Whooping Cough Vaccine Must For Pregnant Women During Third Trimester

A new study suggests that pregnant women should consider getting vaccinated for whooping cough during their third trimester.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that affects the respiratory tract infection. Whooping cough causes continuous cough that affects breathing, eating and sleeping habits. At times, it causes cracked ribs and leads to hospitalization as well. It most commonly affects infants and young children and can be life-threatening, especially for babies younger than 1 years of age.

In the latest study, obstetricians at Loyola University Health System suggest that expectant moms should be vaccinated for pertussis or whooping cough during their third trimester. Especially mothers in close contact with infants should be up to date with their whooping cough vaccine.

This suggestion comes right in time as the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) found that there has been a 30 percent rise in cases of whooping cough from January to mid-August, this year, as compared to the same period last year.

"This spike in whooping cough may be due to the fact that the vaccine does not protect against the disease for long and parents who don't vaccinate their children may be creating more opportunities for whooping cough outbreaks," said Sarah Wagner, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Loyola University Health System.

The CDC in collaboration with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that women should get themselves vaccinated between 27-36 weeks of pregnancy. Once the vaccination is done, the body forms protective antibodies that help battle against diseases in mothers and infants. These antibodies give the infant temporary protection against whooping cough before it is being vaccinated.

The vaccine is very effective two weeks after it is administered, hence if taken during late pregnancy, it gives the baby best protection after birth. It is only after two months that the baby receives its first whooping cough vaccine.

The vaccine given during childhood is DTaP and the vaccine for adults and adolescents is called Tdap. These two vaccines, DTaP and Tdap offer protection against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria.

"Currently, there are no whooping cough vaccines recommended for newborns at birth, so we recommend that all of our pregnant patients and those around the baby get the vaccination," said Dr. Wagner, who also is an assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "The vaccination is the best way to prevent whooping cough in the baby and reduces the risk of infant hospitalizations and deaths from this disease."