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Original poster

AIBU to think that there may be many women who will not get the whooping cough vaccine?

58 replies

CrapBag · 28/09/2012 22:31

Just seen the news about there being a vaccine for pregnant women.

Also been reading some of the other thread and find there are people who don't want to vaccinate their children.

This is a new vaccine so I am thinking that women will be reluctant to get it when they are pregnant. I myself wasn't sure about the swine flu one but I did get it when I was pregnant with DD.

I hope women do the sensible thing. Seeing that baby was heartbreaking and in the South West alone cases have risen to well over 800 this year.

OP posts:

honeytea · 28/09/2012 22:34

I am really worried because it is not going to be given where I live (Sweden) but I will be visiting the UK when our baby is 3/4 months old.

I wonder if I ask my Dr to give it to me they will.

PacificDogwood · 28/09/2012 22:36

It is NOT a new vaccine.
It is the same vaccine as currently 3 year olds are offered (incl diphteria/tetanus/polio).

Due to the upsurge in whooping cough in the last several months, it will now be offered to pregnant women, hoping that they can pass on some immunity to their babies until they get their first vaccination at 2 months of age.

I just wish there had been some information to us GPs about it before this was announced on the news... I currently know as much about it as anybody else, but have already had the first worried phone calls today. No idea who is to vaccinate, when, where and with what vaccine supplies.

Ah, well, good communication, eh?

I am done with having babies , but would certainly take this vaccine. I have seen a fair amount of adult whooping cough and it is misery. It's not called the '100 day cough' for nothing - at least it is not as dangerous to adults than babies.

Original poster

CrapBag · 28/09/2012 22:39

Ahh, I thought I heard it described as a new vaccine. So old vaccine but new to pregnant women.

OP posts:

Goldmandra · 28/09/2012 22:48

PacificDogwood is sooooo right!

I had whooping cough at Easter and still have a couple of coughing fits a day. It is a vile disease and the only reason anyone has ever had to call paramedics out for me.

I'd be happy to testify to any pregnant woman how worthwhile a vaccination would be for herself, never mind her baby. I wish I'd had the chance of a vaccination - I don't think I'll ever need one now!!

SarahStratton · 29/09/2012 01:00

Pacific is not wrong.

DD2 has been ill since 5th August with whooping cough. That's when she became obviously ill, prior to that she had been off colour for about a week - 8 days.

It's now the end of September, and I am still up all night with a whooping, choking, coughing, vomiting 15 year old, who also has chronic asthma and is struggling to breathe. It is Hell, she has been so ill with it, and DD1 and I have it too.

She is unlikely to be able to return to school for at least another 2-3 weeks. She's just started her GCSEs and is already half a term behind.

Whooping Cough sucks.

BrittaPerry · 29/09/2012 01:13

My sister was two when she ot it, and spent a winter coughing and randomly vmiting. Poor child was miserable :-(

ElaineBenes · 29/09/2012 02:58

Part of the problem with vaccines is that they can be the victims of their own success. People forget how awful these diseases are. Unfortunately, since this new step is in response to an increase in whooping cough, I think uptake may be better than with the mmr for eg. Diseases averted isn't a headline, babies actually dying of whooping cough is.

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 29/09/2012 03:22

I got whooping cough when I was 5 (I wasnt vaccinated because there was a scare at the time about the vaccine causing brain damage- this is back in the 70's).

It permanently damaged one of my vocal chords. The impact has improved with age (As a child, I used to start speaking and nothing would come out orI would squeak- that doesnt happen any more. I just have a very deep, gravelly voice) I've kind of grown into it now, but it was very odd on a 6 year old (cue: lots of teasing at school, especially when the Frog Chorus was at No 1. God I hated that song). ENT specialist said if the damage had been worse, I could have been left with fairly incomprehensible speech which obviously would have impacted me massively throughout life.

I think if I lived in the UK I'd probably have the vaccine when pregnant as the thought of a tiny baby getting it is just too horrific.

deleted203 · 29/09/2012 03:38

Why has your DD2 got whooping cough, Sarah? (Not a criticism at all). I'm just wondering if she wasn't vaccinated as a child, because I thought all children were with the dip/tetanus/whooping cough at about 8 weeks with further boosters. Did she miss out on these - or is it possible to catch whooping cough despite vaccination?

Psammead · 29/09/2012 04:00

I wish it were 100 days. To this day whenever I get a cough, I whoop. I can barely shout. My voice is very quiet and I think the whooping cough is what did it.

ElaineBenes · 29/09/2012 04:19

Sowornout
Unfortunately it is possible to catch wc even after being vaccinated (and also if youve had it before -immunity is not for life). The vaccine used today has less side effects than the old one but it seems that effectiveness is wearing off much Faster than expected. It is more effective against severe wc so you're less likely to die or have long term effects but you can still get it and spread it (although you're still less likely to get it than someone who hasn't been vaccinated)

SarahStratton · 29/09/2012 04:31

Both DDs have had every vaccination offered to them. Unfortunately, both DDs are too old to have been given the pre-school booster. And we now know that the vaccine wears off. The current epidemic is mostly hitting people of DD2's age upwards.

Even actually having WC doesn't confer lifetime immunity. And it is being massively under diagnosed, the woman from the HPA said they are hearing over and over that a grandparent has diagnosed it, after its been missed by the GP. DD2 was told in hospital that it was asthma after she'd been diagnosed by our HP.

deleted203 · 29/09/2012 05:22

Thanks Elaine and Sarah. I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter - hope she recovers as soon as possible. It sounds horrendous. I have daughters (and sons) in late teens. Should I be looking into re-vaccination do you think?

tholeon · 29/09/2012 06:29

Does anyone know if it is possible to get private whooping cough vacs for adults anywhere? This scares me as my three year old has a condition which means he gets a nasty cough with pretty much any cold, and we also have a baby. Both fully vaccinated but I would get dh and I done as well at the mo if poss to lessen the chances of passing this on to them as much as poss.

BenjiAndTheTigers · 29/09/2012 06:31

For the past three years we have been vaccinating everyone who will come in contact with the new baby. i.e. grandparents, carers, older siblings etc.

The government in it's wisdom has now stated that to obtain the free vaccination, new mums must be vaccinated in hospital or at their GP shortly after baby's birth.

We just ordered heaps in so we can continue vaccinating all family members fo free.

lovestodaydream · 29/09/2012 07:12

My DS caught whooping cough at 1.5yrs old, despite having had routine vaccinations. It was horrendous - God knows what it would have been like without a base cover of the jabs. It lasted for 4 months and even now if he gets a cold DH and I live in terror that it will hit his chest. Took months for him to be able to run around with his friends without collapsing wheezing, and I am definitely neurotic about his diet, sleeping and resting because of it. He has had a normal cold this week (now nearly 3yrs old) but even that means that at night when any mucous pools in his chest during sleep he wakes up coughing and vomits everywhere. The worst thing is he just says 'oh dear I done a sick, never mind' because he's so used to it:-(. I'm now due next week with DS2 and am desperate to get the vaccination before delivery myself. Get it if you can, the reality of living with a killer disease in your home is truly terrifying.

WofflingOn · 29/09/2012 07:30

I think the OP is correct and a huge number of women won't get the vaccine through concerns for their unborn, and others because they don't see the need and they are convinced that it won't happen to them or their child.
Until the risks are seen as overwhelming, there will be a significant cohort that will resist and the spread of whooping cough will continue.

OddGoldBoots · 29/09/2012 07:37

I'm wondering if it would be wrong for me (non-pregnant) to contact my GP to ask about getting the jab, I work in a pre-school and have a brother with a seriously impaired immune system - I would feel so awful if I gave him this, it is very likely to kill him if he got it.

WofflingOn · 29/09/2012 08:07

It is never wrong to ask something, the GP will advise you and either way you will be better informed than you were.

Longtalljosie · 29/09/2012 08:16

I'm 39 weeks so won't get it. Pacific given that I'll be breastfeeding is there any sense in trying to get the vaccine so I can pass on some protection in my breastmilk? I've been looking online to see if this is something that's been discussed but can't see anything about it...

furrygoldone · 29/09/2012 08:38

DS2 is 8 days old and I was wondering the same thing as Longtalljosie. DH had WC as a child and says it was awful, he got it because there was a scare story around at that time so his mum didn't vaccinate, it also took ages to diagnose him as no one thought it could be WC.

StrawberryMojito · 29/09/2012 08:46

It can't do any harm to ask Oddgoldboots. Would your brother not be able to get the vaccine himself or would his condition prevent it?

CwtchesAndCuddles · 29/09/2012 13:11

I had whooping cough when I was 10 and it was terrible, I was ill for months, coughing, vomiting etc. I had been vaccinated as a baby but my younger brother hadn't because there had been a health scare (1970s).

Sods law that I got it and he didn't!!! My immune system is crap though - I had chickenpox badly at 7 but when my immunity was tested in pregnancy (dd had cp) I had no immunity and had to be given antibodies!!!

blonderthanred · 29/09/2012 13:23

From what I read, pg women 38+ weeks and still have the vaccine so as to pass on antibodies via breastmilk and also cut the risk of the mother catching & passing it on to the baby.

Amazed to read how many women like me who were born in the 70s had wh cough after the vaccine scare. I thought I was just unlucky but it shows how quickly it can spread just from a short period of people not being vaccinated.

I'm happy to have it but it's crazy that the info was publicised on the news before GPs and hospitals were given the full logistical info.

ElaineBenes · 29/09/2012 14:00

Long tall josie

I'd get it and make sure everyone in my hiusehold has it so that you can create a cocoon of safety around the newborn.

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