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

[FlowerPowerM]

Going to visit a relative in the US who has a newborn. We’ve all had a to have a vaccine before meeting them - and apparently that’s the standard there. I’ve never heard of this before and wondered are they just being over cautious? We don’t seem to have anything like that here. Are babies in the UK being less protected than in the US?
Just to clarify I’ve had the vaccine and it was tetanus, dyptheria, whooping cough and then we had to have the flu vaccine which we had had anyway.

I'm also in Australia. It's pretty common for parents these days to insist on those meeting a new baby to need a whooping cough booster. I'm not a grandparent yet, but will absolutely be vaccinated when the time comes.

It's quite common to see notes or a message on Facebook to tell friends and acquaintances that nobody who hasn't been vaccinated will be meeting the baby until after that baby has had their own whooping cough vaccination at 2 months.

If you've ever seen a baby with whooping cough, you'd understand.

I remember, many years ago, a colleague bringing her two week old baby into work for all of us to coo and have a hold. One of the women had been sick all week, sneezing and sniffling, but was first in line to hold the baby, even kissing it's head and breathing all over it. I went and had a quiet word to the mother and that baby 'needed' a sudden nappy change. I love babies, but if unsell, I'd decline the cuddle of a newborn as I wouldn't want to take the chance of passing something on.

I can’t imagine complaining about protecting my own grandchild.

It’s super standard out here. Our pediatrician recommended it for anyone spending time with our kids when they were babies.

When DGD was born we were asked to make sure our whooping cough vaccine was up to date before she was born - DILs request, no problem. We are in Aus and I think it’s pretty common for parents to want it? Another baby is due this year and due to the age gap I think we will need a booster and yes, it costs us. Happy to pay and do whatever keeps our grandchild safe.

If you recently had a baby, you would hahad the tdap unless you refused it, so no need to pay privately for another.

In France this is also the advice given to soon-to-be parents. Pregnant women get this vaccine but they also like to give any adults living in the household a booster, make sure any older siblings are up to date with their vaccine schedule and yes, anyone likely to be in close contact with the newborn baby is advised to have a TDAP booster if they haven’t had one in the last few years. It’s good for the adults in question too because it makes sure their tetanus immunity is kept up as well as helping to prevent whooping cough epidemics. There have been outbreaks of whooping cough recently here. Vaccine uptake is very good in France because it’s a requirement for babies in childcare and children in schools. They ask for proof of vaccination (photocopy of the relevant page of the child’s baby book). But there are still outbreaks of whooping cough. Our Dr told us that the vaccine is very useful for keeping whooping cough outbreaks down but it’s not as amazingly affective as the measles vaccine for example.

I posted a link on page 1 of this thread about what can happen when a pregnant woman doesn’t get the whooping cough booster. Please look at it. Please respect the Light for Riley campaign.

Three days after the video was taken, Riley died. Horribly. His distraught, brave mother has told the world of her experience.

Most odd, though I along with most British people have had those vaccines already anyway, I had a booster a year ago before going to India (as it was 25 years since I previously had a booster) and it was free from my drs.

In partnership with NHS

In both the US and many other countries, it is considered best practice for anyone visiting a newborn to be up to date with key vaccines, particularly Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis/whooping cough) and influenza.

In the UK, the recommendation is very similar to the US:
Tdap / Whooping cough:

• Pertussis (whooping cough) is particularly dangerous for babies under 3 months.
• Anyone who will have close contact with a newborn is strongly encouraged to be up to date with their whooping cough vaccination. This may be accessed through the GP,
• Pregnant women are routinely offered the Tdap vaccine from 16 weeks gestation, which also helps protect the baby through antibodies passed before birth.

Flu (influenza) vaccine:

• During flu season, all adults in close contact with babies should be vaccinated to reduce the risk of passing flu to the newborn, who cannot get the vaccine until 6 months old.

Other vaccines:

• MMR, chickenpox, and COVID-19 vaccinations are also recommended for visitors who are susceptible, to reduce the risk of transmitting infection to vulnerable infants.

Practical advice for parents in the UK:

• It’s considered best practice to ask visitors if they are up to date with whooping cough and flu vaccines, especially in the first few months.
• This “cocooning” approach is one of the safest ways to protect babies who are too young to be vaccinated themselves.