As it is World Health Day today, Monday, 7 April, we want to emphasise the importance of vaccination
Pregnant women are strongly encouraged to protect themselves and their babies by getting the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine between 16 to 36 weeks of pregnancy. This vaccine is available free of charge from participating GPs. Vaccination during pregnancy provides vital whooping cough immunity for newborn babies during their earliest and most vulnerable months of life. Importantly, vaccination during pregnancy is safe for both mum and baby.
Whooping cough tends to surge in cycles every five to six years. In 2024, we saw a record high with over 539 confirmed cases. This trend has continued into early 2025, with cases expected to rise further in the spring and summer months. Last year, one in four reported cases were hospitalised, of those, two-thirds were infants aged 0-5 months. Vaccinating pregnant women is very effective in reducing this risk to young infants.
Thankfully, there were no reported infant deaths from whooping cough in 2024. However, tragically, in previous years, some young infants have died from the disease.
This World Health Day, let's work together to spread the word!
Dr Scott Walkin (AMRIC lead)