Pregnant mothers encouraged to get vaccinated to prevent whooping coughs
A council has said that it is more important than ever for pregnant women to get vaccinated to protect their children from dangerous illnesses.
With the NHS seeing a national increase in confirmed cases of whooping cough, Sandwell Council is advising all pregnant mothers to get vaccinated for the illness.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, can be a serious disease, leading to potential hospitalisation, and in the worst of cases, death.
Over the month of March alone, 1,319 confirmed cases were reported, also resulting in five infant deaths between January and March 2024.
Babies are shown to be most at risk from the illness, however, mothers vaccinated during pregnancy can help to protect babies who are too young to be vaccinated themselves.
Liann Brookes-Smith, Sandwell's interim director of public health, said: "Amidst this worrying rise in whooping cough cases, I urge all pregnant mothers to protect their children by getting vaccinated. Whooping cough is preventable in most cases and the vaccine will increase a child’s immunity to this serious disease.
"The best time to get vaccinated is between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, but if mothers miss this date, they can still get it later in their pregnancy – although the sooner, the better."
pregnant mothers can get the vaccine for free from their GP surgery. Only one dose of the vaccine is required, but it is important to be vaccinated once per pregnancy.
Who whopping cough vaccine has been shown to be safe for both mothers and their babies. However, anyone with concerns about the vaccine can talk to their midwife or their GP.
More information on the whooping cough vaccine can be found on the NHS website.
