Should i get whooping cough vaccine

They are affected more seriously by the disease than older children or adults, and are more likely to develop complications.

One in every babies who contract whooping cough under six months of age will die. Whooping cough begins with symptoms similar to those of a cold. These can rapidly progress to include:. A person with these symptoms may also have poor appetite, fatigue and dehydration.

The person may appear normal between bouts of coughing. During the recovery, the cough gradually decreases, but can last up to three months. Whooping cough is most serious in babies under 12 months of age. In young babies less than six months of age, the symptoms can be severe or life threatening. Seek urgent medical attention if your child's lips or skin go blue cyanosis or if they are having breathing difficulties associated with the coughing. Some of the complications of whooping cough in young babies include:.

The Bordetella pertussis bacterium is spread by airborne droplets from the upper respiratory tract when the infected person coughs or sneezes and is highly infectious. The time from infection to appearance of symptoms incubation period is between six and 20 days. A person is infectious for the first 21 days of their cough or until they have had five days of a day course of antibiotics. In countries where immunisation rates are high, the risk of catching whooping cough is low.

In Victoria, most reports of whooping cough currently occur in adults over 20 years of age. Recent research has shown that family members, household contacts and carers are the main source of whooping cough infection in babies.

Whooping cough needs to be diagnosed and treated immediately. There are a number of tests for whooping cough, but they are not always reliable and the results may take some time. Treatment should not be withheld while waiting for these results. In its early stages, the symptoms of whooping cough can be reduced by taking antibiotics. If treatment is given in the first 21 days of the illness, the risk of passing the infection to others might be reduced.

Members of the infected person's household are at increased risk of getting the disease and are usually prescribed a strong antibiotic as a preventative measure, even if they are fully immunised. In Victoria, the whooping cough vaccine is only available in a number of combined vaccines that also contain protection against other serious and potentially fatal diseases.

The type of combined vaccine used for immunisation will depend on the person's age group. Children need to follow the full schedule of vaccines to be fully protected. In Victoria, immunisation against whooping cough is free for:. Free catch-up immunisations are also available in Victoria for people who have not been fully vaccinated, including:.

If you are not sure whether you are eligible for immunisation against whooping cough that is free of charge, ask your doctor. The whooping cough vaccine for adults also contains diphtheria and tetanus protection in a combination vaccine. Adults who should be vaccinated with whooping cough vaccine if they have not had a dose in the last 10 years include:. A booster dose of whooping cough vaccine is recommended for people who have not had one in the previous ten years.

It may result in:. The older you are, the more likely you are to be hospitalized. Asthma and tobacco use increase the severity of the infection. Many adolescents and adults who are hospitalized with whooping cough have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD. Worsening of these conditions is often the reason for hospitalization.

Raj Dasgupta is a faculty member at the University of Southern California. Dasgupta is an active clinical researcher and has been teaching around the world for more than 18 years. Tdap and DTaP are two vaccines that both protect against three diseases: Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Learn more…. What may seem like a normal cold to you could actually be whooping cough. Learn why you can still get this contagious disease, even if you were….

Learn more about the Tdap vaccine. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Adult vaccination Children vs. Do adults need to be vaccinated against whooping cough? At what age should adults get vaccinated against whooping cough and how often?

What are the risks of getting whooping cough? I got the whooping cough vaccine as a child. Do I still need to get vaccinated again as an adult? If I never received the whooping cough vaccine as a child, which vaccine do I need? Do I still need to get vaccinated? Will my doctor remind me to get vaccinated? Infants and children birth through age 6 Young children need the DTaP vaccine as part of their routine vaccine schedule.

Young children need a dose of the vaccine at: 2 months 4 months 6 months 15 through 18 months 4 through 6 years See the routine vaccination schedule for: Infants and children Preteens and teens Adults. Who should not get whooping cough vaccines? What are the side effects of whooping cough vaccines? Side effects are usually mild and go away in a few days. Where can I get more information about the whooping cough vaccine? Read the VISs for vaccines that protect against whooping cough: DTaP vaccine — protects against whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus for infants and children Tdap vaccine — protects against whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus for preteens, teens, and adults Find the VISs for these vaccines in other languages.

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