Key points to remember about whooping cough immunisation

• there is still whooping cough in New Zealand
• there has been an increase in reported cases in 2009 / 2010, indicating that another epidemic is underway
• infants are the hardest hit
• delaying the first immunisation puts children at risk
• breastfeeding does not offer protection against whooping cough
• infants can catch whooping cough from older brothers and sisters or even parents. If you have a baby or toddler, make sure your older children are up-to-date with their immunisations

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What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough is a serious disease in children, especially those who haven't been immunised and are less than one year old.

 

Typically, children with this illness have coughing spasms (click on this link to listen to someone with whooping cough), struggle to breathe, vomit or go blue with the cough. Some develop pneumonia.

 

Whooping cough in very young infants is unpredictable with the potential for rapid deterioration.

• approximately seven out of ten infants less than six months old with whooping cough are hospitalised¹
• one in 14 of infants hospitalised with whooping cough in New Zealand require intensive care²
• one in seven New Zealand infants with whooping cough requiring intensive care will either die or have subsequent brain or lung damage³

See Acknowledgements for the above references.

 

For more information about the disease, see:

• fact sheet on whooping cough on this website

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How do babies catch whooping cough?

Infected pre-school and school-aged children, adolescents and adults pass the infection on to unprotected babies who are most at risk of a severe or life-threatening whooping cough illness.

 

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Is whooping cough common in New Zealand?

Whooping cough is not under control in New Zealand. Epidemics occur about every three to four years. 2004 was the worst year for whooping cough cases in recent years. There were 3492 cases notified. Compare the number of cases in 2004 with the figures below:

• 2003 - 558 cases
• 2005 - 2720 cases
• 2006 - 1122 cases
• 2007 - 332 cases 
• 2008 - 417 cases

There has been an increase in reported cases in 2009 / 2010, indicating that another epidemic is underway. As at Jul 2010 reported cases of whooping cough remain high though not as high as in the previous epidemic of 2004 / 2005.

 

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Does breastfeeding protect my baby from whooping cough?

Many parents are not aware that a baby is born with no maternal protection from whooping cough; maternal antibodies passed through the placenta or breast milk are not effective against this disease. While breastfeeding protects babies against most infections, it does not provide a baby with protection against whooping cough. 

 

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Can I delay immunising my baby against whooping cough?

Delay in giving routine childhood immunisations increases children’s chances of being hospitalised with whooping cough. A New Zealand reality is that alternative immunisation literature, often given to first-time parents in antenatal classes, recommends delaying the start of immunisation. Delay in any of the three whooping cough vaccine doses given in the first year of life results in a five times increased risk of an infant needing to be hospitalised if they get whooping cough.

 

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About whooping cough immunisation

The whooping cough vaccine is given at the following ages:

• six weeks
• three months
• five months

Immunity from both the disease and the vaccine lessens over time so booster doses are needed for longer-term protection and to minimise the spread to vulnerable babies. Booster doses are given to children at the following ages:

• four years
• 11 years

Young infants are most at risk of getting very sick from whooping cough so it is important to:

• begin immunisation at six weeks of age, and
• complete the first three doses on time to build the maximum protection

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Where to go for more information about whooping cough immunisation

On this website

Whooping cough

 

IMAC (Immunisation Advisory Centre)

The IMAC website provides the following fact sheet:

• Whooping cough (pertussis) fact sheet for parents and caregivers (at right)

For questions on immunisation, vaccination-preventable diseases or a specific vaccine, you can contact the Immunisation Advisory Centre.
Call free on 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466863), weekdays 9am - 4.30 pm
Email: imac@auckland.ac.nz
Website: http://www.immune.org.nz/

 

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Acknowledgements

1. Cortese MM, Baughman AL, Zhang R, Srivastava PU, Wallace GS. Pertussis hospitalizations among infants in the United States, 1993 to 2004. Pediatrics 2008;121(3):484-92.

 

2. Somerville RL, Grant CC, Grimwood K, Murdoch D, Graham D, Jackson P, et al. Infants hospitalised with pertussis: estimating the true disease burden. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health 2007;43(9):617-22.

 

3. Surridge J, Segedin ER, Grant CC. Pertussis requiring intensive care. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2007;92(11):970-5.

 

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Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 08/07/2010

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2012

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand http://www.paediatrics.org.nz

Starship Foundation http://www.starship.org.nz