To think it’s strange I need a vaccine to meet newborn abroad

You wouldn’t get it on the NHS for this reason. Would have to pay privately as it’s not part of the routine immunisation schedule in the UK for close family.
Fwiw it’s called ‘cocooning’.

Fewer antivaxxers here to need to ask in the first place, greater herd immunity so less likely to come into contact with people carrying infection, fewer fans of raw milk, etc, etc.

They are more likely to come across people who are very much against all vaccination there, so they're aware of the risks in a way we aren't - and if they do, they could be bankrupted in the process.

We had to have this vaccine before each of our grandchildren were born. I had no problem with that. Whooping cough can be a killer, especially for an infant.

Vaccines are expensive in the US not everybodies insurance will cover it so adults can be unvacinated, we are privilaged we have free vaccines so obviously you were covered , the new parents were trying to protect their newborn.

If mum has had whooping cough vaccine baby should be protected by maternal antibodies.

Anti-Vax is much bigger a thing in the US, so parents of babies can't rely on the herd immunity that we are fortunate to have here.
And of course these particular parents might have very anti-Vax family members or friends, so they could be using this blanket request to keep them away from their newborn.

* internal eye roll, and respect parents wishes *

Children die of whooping cough—they are too young to get the vaccine and do the adults need to get it. There have been whooping cough epidemics lately. So yes, you need to get it. But fear not! Under the rule of terror we now have in the US they are rapidly eliminating vaccines so children and adults can now get measles and whooping cough and HPV and a wide variety of illnesses and deaths quite freely.

Sensible parents, there.

Apart from filtering out people who are antivaxxers, the expense of hospital treatment for a newborn with polio, diptheria, whooping cough or influenza would be immense - and flying to the US would potentially put all travellers at risk of contact with people from locations where vaccination is not anywhere near as common.

Its the same in Australia. Expectant Mothers are given the vaccine also, but their policy must be based on different research as they seem to think anyone meeting the baby should have it also. The NHS guidance is that the booster passes immunity into the baby, so I'm not sure why others would need it. Or maybe it's just a cost saving thing from the NHS as they need stricter criteria before offering things for free, and Brits aren't likely to pay for vaccines.

What is strange about it?
Different countries have different rules!

Are you talking whooping cough?

In Australia, it’s in the childhood vaccine schedule but there are recommendations now that parents, grandparents and others planning to be in close contact with a newborn (too young for the vaccine) get themselves a booster. I don’t know whether we have to pay for it or not as future grandparents.

https://www.unicef.org.au/stories/light-for-riley?srsltid=AfmBOoqS9Iqk1rvJbYQUZDHfCMLQPkGamKvrZipY3kgixG_M8ZRxxJsE

See the link in this https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-14/parents-share-video-of-baby-rileys-final-moments/7087434 for a 30 day old baby who did not survive whooping cough.

As an American, I didn’t realize the chicken pox vaccine wasn’t a routine one in the UK until I saw people on Mumsnet talking about it. The last time I personally knew a kid who got chicken pox was in the late ‘90s.

American here, and that’s not “the standard” in the US. It’s not unheard-of, but the vast majority of American parents aren’t telling people they need to get a vaccine before they’re allowed to meet a newborn baby.

Huh? I don't think this is true - I think the UK immunisation schedule is less comprehensive than the US.

For example chicken pox vaccine has only just been started in the UK whereas it's been standard in the US for decades. They also tend to still get covid vaccines and flu vaccines whereas in the UK these are only offered to elderly/high risk, (plus the flumist spray in schools, which admittedly isn't routine elsewhere) and routine boosters for DTAP aren't done after age 14, only in pregnancy or after an injury. NHS used to say if you'd had 5x DTAP in your life, you did't need any more whereas the US doesn't have that recommendation. (Not sure if NHS recommendation is still the same).

There’s a huge whooping cough outbreak in the USA right now, so it’s harder for parents to rely on herd immunity for their newborns who are not yet old enough to have completed the full vaccination programme. I think they’re being very sensible.

Here in the UK, vaccination rates are much higher so herd immunity can be relied upon more confidently when meeting a newborn. (Eg even if someone who is unvaccinated is meeting a newborn, because most people are vaccinated, it's very unlikely that the unvaccinated person will have encountered someone else in the community who is also infected and then pass it along to the baby).

https://www.vaccineadvisor.com/news/whooping-cough-surges-nationwide-as-vaccinations-fall/

Almost every adult in the UK is covered by their childhood inoculations, so not a big thing for parents to worry about here in the UK.

Perhaps in the US fewer people received childhood vaccines, so % protection is less.

It seems to be a social media thing rather than an actual medical recommendation, although the CDC do recommend that adults visiting a newborn (under 2 months) should be "up to date" on vaccinations, and the US and UK recommendations are different.

Getting a DTAP booster will also protect you against tetanus for the next 10 years, so if you haven't had a recent tetanus jab, it's no bad thing from that perspective. The US recommends a booster every 10 years whereas the UK only do this if you're at especially high risk, e.g. gardeners, or after an injury which breaks the skin, and they offer a new DTAP booster in pregnancy because receiving one in the third trimester transfers protection to the baby when they are born (this is separate to whether you have had one generally in the last 10 years).

Flu vaccine makes sense too considering this flu season is especially brutal.

I think because the antivax movement is especially strong in the US and because sick leave tends not to be as easily available, a lot of people feel very strongly pro-vaccination in a way that tends not to be present in the UK/Europe.

Adults are meant to get boosters every 10 years but it seems like this is one of the things that the NHS has cut back on. It seems like a sensible request from the parents if they are concerned that either you or others are not fully and recently vaccinated until the baby is fully protected.

The NHS recommends a whooping cough vaccine for pregnant women in the UK as the immunity it provides passes to the baby through the placenta and provides protection to the newborn until they have their own whooping cough vaccine at 8 weeks old. Not sure there’s enough tetanus and diphtheria going round to be much of a concern from infectious visitors.

Surely you were already up to date with those anyway ? Possibly not the flu vaccine but the others ?

As a while, the UK has a much more comprehensive programme of immunisations. The US government is calling back their immunisations and many more people are unvaccinated than the UK. I think you’ve been very sensible in protecting yourself!!