When Can Babies Get the Whooping Cough Vaccine

Expert reviewer, Dr Adrian Raby, General Practitioner
Adjacent review due October 2023

Whooping cough (besides known as pertussis) is a bacterial infection causing astringent bouts of coughing, which tin last for several weeks or months. It gets its proper name from the fact that some people, peculiarly children, make a 'whoop' sound as they draw in breath between coughing.

The infection is highly contagious – it is easily spread between people. Y'all tin reduce your baby's gamble of catching information technology by making sure they are vaccinated against whooping cough.

About whooping coughing

Whooping cough is an infection caused by the bacterium, Bordetella pertussis, which affects your upper airways. It'due south spread through droplets in the air when an infected person coughs. You tin get whooping cough at any age, but immature babies and children are more than probable to accept astringent symptoms and develop complications. A vaccination is available to prevent this.

Whooping cough used to exist very common in the UK. Just since vaccinations confronting the disease were introduced in the 1950s, the number of people getting it each year has been much lower.

Although information technology's still less mutual than it used to exist, cases of whooping cough have increased over the last few years. In that location tends to be an outbreak of whooping cough every few years, when more people than usual get infected. The highest peak of cases in recent years was in 2012.

You can still catch whooping cough, even if yous've had it earlier or accept been vaccinated against information technology. This is because the immunity you lot go from previous infection and vaccination wears off over time. If you do catch it for a 2nd time though, your symptoms tend to not be so severe. In that location is more data about when vaccinations are offered in the section on prevention of whooping cough.

Symptoms of whooping cough

Whooping coughing symptoms ordinarily begin between seven and 10 days after you've been infected (known every bit the catarrhal phase). The showtime symptoms are similar to a mutual cold. Yous may feel generally unwell with a runny nose, sneezing, sore pharynx, a slight fever and, a few days later, a dry cough. These symptoms usually last for about a week or two. Because the symptoms are similar to a common cold, whooping cough isn't often diagnosed at this phase unless you're known to have been in contact with someone who has information technology.

Afterwards nigh a calendar week, your cough volition go worse, and yous'll probably have regular bouts of astringent coughing. In between the coughing fits, you might feel quite well. You may have some of the following symptoms associated with your coughing.

• At the end of a bout of coughing, you may make a 'whoop' audio equally you depict in breath. Many adults and babies don't accept this symptom – information technology tends to be more mutual in immature children.
• The coughing may be worse at night or there might exist a item thing that sets it off. This might be, for example, cold temperatures or being of a sudden startled by something such every bit an unexpected noise.
• Y'all might cough up thick mucus.
• Afterwards a bad fit of coughing, you might be sick.
• Coughing may crusade your face to become flushed and you might start sweating.
• Children might have a blueish-purplish tinge to their lips and skin, caused by lack of oxygen during a coughing fit.
• The coughing tends to last for one to half-dozen weeks, although information technology can carry on for up to three months. You should start to gradually feel ameliorate during this time, with the coughing becoming less frequent and less severe.
• If y'all've been vaccinated confronting whooping cough or you've had information technology in the past, yous may have some immunity confronting it. Yous may still get some symptoms, but they will probably be milder and non last as long.

If you or your child has symptoms of whooping cough, you lot should contact your GP as shortly every bit possible to get the treatment you lot need. At the same time, whooping cough is a 'notifiable disease' then your GP has to tell the wellness protection team in the local health authorisation. This is so that the wellness protection team tin can let other people know if they've come into contact with the infection.

Diagnosis of whooping coughing

Your GP will ask about your symptoms and examine you. They'll want to know if you've been vaccinated against whooping cough, and if yous've recently been in contact with anyone who has the infection. In the early stages of the disease, your symptoms may be similar to other respiratory tract infections, like the common cold. But if your symptoms brainstorm to get worse, your GP will normally exist able to tell that it's whooping cough. They may want to ostend the diagnosis by doing some tests. These may include the following.

• Testing a sample of fluid from your oral cavity. You tin get kits to do this exam yourself at home, and your GP may conform for 1 to be sent to you.
• A blood test – this is mainly used if yous are over sixteen and accept had a coughing for over two weeks.

It tin can take a while to go the results back from whatever tests. So, if your GP suspects yous have whooping cough, they will probably recommend you start handling straightaway. Sometimes the tests tin give a negative result, even if you exercise have whooping coughing. This is because the cough can last even subsequently the bacteria that cause it have cleared from your body.

Treatment of whooping cough

Antibiotics

If you've had your cough for less than three weeks, your GP may prescribe a course of antibiotics for yous. Antibiotics won't usually aid with your symptoms – you're still likely to take a cough for several weeks. Simply they may help to prevent the infection spreading to other people. Fifty-fifty if the infection is not however confirmed, y'all'll need to continue children off schoolhouse or plant nursery until they've completed at least 48 hours of treatment with antibiotics. Adults should stay away from work too. At that place is more information about this in the section on frequently asked questions.

Treating the symptoms

There isn't any handling you can take that tin stop your coughing but it will gradually become amend on its own. While you're feeling unwell, the best thing you lot can do is rest and make sure you're drinking enough fluids to keep hydrated. You can take over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to assistance with symptoms such as a fever and sore throat. Contact your GP if your symptoms get worse or if you recollect you've developed a complication.

Handling for severe symptoms

Some people with whooping cough may demand to be admitted to infirmary for treatment. This might be if you lot're having difficulty breathing due to the coughing or if you develop a complication such equally pneumonia. Babies under 6 months with whooping cough may need to exist treated in hospital if they become very unwell. If your baby or young child develops blueish lips or nails or appears to be struggling to exhale, telephone for an ambulance and tell them it's whooping coughing.

Complications of whooping coughing

There are several possible complications of whooping cough, some of which can be serious and life-threatening. Well-nigh people aren't afflicted, simply babies under six months are at the greatest adventure of complications. These can include:

• infection in your middle ear – caused past spread of the bacterium that's caused your whooping cough
• infection of your lung (pneumonia) – caused by spread of the bacterium that'south caused your whooping cough
• temporary pauses in your animate (apnoea)
• seizures (fits)
• inflammation of your brain (encephalitis)
• severe dehydration, if you're oftentimes being sick after coughing fits

You may develop other complications that are directly related to the strain of constant, severe coughing. These include:

• bursting of the tiny blood vessels in your eye, causing reddish eyes
• red spots under the skin of your face and chest, caused past modest blood vessels bursting during coughing
• trapped air in the infinite between your lungs and the wall of your chest (a pneumothorax)
• a hernia – this is when the contents from your belly, such as your intestines, push through a weakness in the muscle of your abdominal wall
• a rectal prolapse – when function of your rectum or the lining of your rectum drops through your anus
• fracture of a rib
• urinary incontinence (passing urine unintentionally)

If your baby has whooping cough, your GP will check for whatever signs of complications when they examine them. They can explain to you what signs to look out for. If y'all're at all worried that your baby is becoming more unwell, seek medical attention straightaway.

Prevention of whooping cough

Whooping cough is highly contagious – information technology spreads very easily from person to person. Up to 8 in 10 people who aren't immune to it will take hold of it if they're in contact with an infected person. You lot can reduce your baby's chance of catching it past making sure they are vaccinated against whooping cough.

Vaccination

The whooping cough vaccine is offered to all babies in the UK as role of the routine vaccination schedule.

The vaccine is given in a serial of injections when your infant is eight, 12 and 16 weeks one-time. The vaccination also protects against the following diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, polio and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) and hepatitis B. The combination of vaccines is called DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB. Your child will be offered a pre-schoolhouse booster of the whooping cough vaccine, when they're effectually three years and iv months erstwhile.

The vaccine is very effective at protecting against whooping cough when you offset have it, but this protection gradually wears off equally you go older. Then, you may withal get the disease, specially as an developed, although it'south likely to be milder.

In the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, all pregnant women are also offered a booster vaccine for whooping cough. You'll be offered information technology between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, but it'due south usually timed to coincide with your 20-week scan. Having the vaccination when yous're significant volition boost levels of antibodies against whooping cough in your blood, and these antibodies will then be passed on to your baby. This helps to protect them from whooping cough every bit before long every bit they're born, until they are old plenty to have the vaccination themselves.

Children over 10 years old and adults aren't normally vaccinated as the disease tends to be milder when you're older. But if your kid has missed out on vaccination in babyhood, they can have the course upward to the age of 10.

Antibiotics for prevention

To assistance forbid the spread of whooping cough, your doctor may ask people who've been in contact with whooping cough to have antibiotics fifty-fifty if they don't have symptoms. This is nigh likely for:

• babies who haven't had all their vaccinations withal
• older children and adults who had their vaccination more than five years ago
• women who are more than 32 weeks pregnant and haven't had vaccination in the last v years

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Source: https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/childrens-health/whooping-cough

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