Whooping Cough Vaccination During Pregnancy

Whooping cough is a dangerous disease especially for babies and toddlers due to complications that can cause disability and death. The whooping cough vaccine is given to babies in 4 doses throughout the first year of their lives, which is why in the first months the protection of the vaccine is not yet complete. To protect yourself and your baby from whooping cough, it is important to get vaccinated against the disease in every pregnancy. 

About the Disease

Whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella Pertussis, causes severe coughing fits that end in labored inhalation of air with a sound known as "whoop", caused by the lack of air. The coughing attacks are occasionally accompanied by redness in the face and turning blue, and they can last for weeks and months. The disease is especially dangerous for babies and toddlers due to complications such as respiratory arrest (with and without coughing), pneumonia, subconjunctival hemorrhages and encephalitis that can cause disability and death. 90% of deaths from whooping cough are of babies under 3 months of age.

The Vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine for infants provides the best protection for babies and children against the disease and is included in the birth to 18 immunization schedules . The vaccine is administered in 4 doses in the first year of life: at two months, 4 months, 6 months and one year of age, so that babies in the first months of life are not fully protected against whooping cough. To protect yourself and your baby from whooping cough, it is important to get vaccinated against the disease in every pregnancy.

The pregnancy whooping cough vaccine, which is administered along with the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines,  is effective and safe for both mother and fetus. The recommendation is to receive the vaccine between Week 27 and Week 36 of pregnancy. Administering the vaccine to the mother during these weeks allows her to develop high levels of antibodies to whooping cough and naturally pass them on to the fetus through the placenta. In this way, the mother protects the unborn child until they are vaccinated with the 4 doses of the vaccine themselves.

The vaccine is included in the health services basket for pregnant women and can be received in the HMOs, with a co-pay.

• Composition of the vaccine: The vaccine is administered along with the diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (Tdap) and occasionally even with the (killed) polio vaccine.
• Date of the vaccination: Between Week 27 and Week 36 of pregnancy.
• How and where the vaccine is administered: The vaccine is administered via intramuscular injection into the arm.

The Importance of the pregnancy whooping cough vaccine

The level of antibodies to whooping cough declines within several months after receiving the vaccine. One dose of the vaccine will trigger production of sufficient amounts of the antibody to protect you from whooping cough for several years, but it is not enough to protect the fetus from whooping cough during the next pregnancy.

Vaccine safety

The World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety found that the whooping cough vaccine for pregnant women is safe and effective for both mother and fetus. Studies to assess the safety of the vaccine found no evidence of increased risk of diseases during pregnancy, of premature delivery or stillborn in women who were vaccinated in comparison with those who were not.

In addition, no increased risk was found of birth defects, neurological disorders or immune system disorders in the first years of life of a baby whose mother was vaccinated during pregnancy in comparison with babies whose mothers were not vaccinated during pregnancy.

Whooping cough vaccine in combination with the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine also includes the vaccine for tetanus and diphtheria. These vaccines have been administered to pregnant women for many years, and studies show that they are safe and do not cause birth defects.

Possible side effects of the vaccine and how they can be mitigated

A small number of people who received the vaccine may experience side effects but they are largely mild and disappear on their own after one or two days:

• Redness, swelling and pain at the injection site: a clean cloth soaked in lukewarm water can be placed on the injection site. Avoid massaging the area.
• Fever: you can use fever reducers and pain relievers.
• General discomfort: lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue.
• Rare side effects: joint pain, muscle pain, enlarged lymph nodes.
• Anaphylactic reaction: Severe allergic anaphylactic reaction is extremely rare.

More information about possible side effects after a vaccine and how to mitigate them