Whooping cough vaccine. How common is whooping cough anyway ?

[NightSkyWanderer]

I am hesitant about the vaccine.
My midwife is very adamant about pushing the whooping cough vaccine.
What's people's opinion on whopping cough? To be honest I'm rather reluctant to take a vaccine for something I'd never even heard about before. Midwife says it's common but at almost 40 years of age I've never had whooping cough so it begs me to wonder how common is it really? While i want my baby to be safe and I'm not opposed to all vaccines in life, however I am against having vaccines while I'm pregnant. I've already declined the flu vaccines and covid vaccines due to horrible responses from both past injections.
Since becoming pregnant I'm hardly out of the house , I'm fortune enough to be at home during the day and I only go out once in a while to supermarket. Ive stopped socialising and I've become somewhat of a hermit due to exhaustion and fear of exposure to virus's ect while pregnant so really wouldn't my risk be low anyway ?
I'd value some other opinions as to your experiences

My DH had Whooping Cough about 10 years ago. He had no idea where he caught it. Ever since he had it, every time he gets a cold it goes to his chest even though he is otherwise fit and healthy.

It is to protect your baby. Whooping cough can be deadly.

I have had whooping cough, and it was dire. If you have the option of vaccination, take it.

From my son's school this week. Secondary age kids are currently coming down with it. The Head was off for about 6 weeks with it recently. I know you said you are in Ireland but it must really be on the increase if secondary schools are having this problem.

You might not have heard of whooping cough, but youve heard of tetanus, yes?
Youve been vaccinated against it?

Its the same vaccine. The TDAP is a 3 in one (much like the MMR), Tetanus, Difteria and Whooping Cough (or Pertussis, which is the scientific name).

And the vaccine is given to pregnant women to protect the baby until they can be vaccinated at 5 months or so.

And a PP mentioned the vaccine doesnt last, which is true, and that is why you get boosters every few years, particularly when you are a child.

I had mine 2 weeks ago. Only side effect was a sore arm for a few days!

I've sent babies to intensive care with it. In neonates it tends to present by stopping breathing. So I'm strongly in favour of immunising pregnant mums.

The whooping cough vaccine has routinely been offered to pregnant women for over 10 years. I'm surprised you don't know anyone who's had a baby, and the vaccine, in that time.

And a PP mentioned the vaccine doesnt last, which is true, and that is why you get boosters every few years, particularly when you are a child.

I thought it was only given as part of the infant vaccines then preschool booster? It's not in the teenage 3 in 1.

I think maybe it would make sense to vaccinate the household shortly after a birth, anyone who is 4 years post vaccine or something. It's 9% effective after 4 years according to this study.

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/137/3/e20153326/81397/Waning-Tdap-Effectiveness-in-Adolescents?redirectedFrom=fulltext

www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/Medicine--pregnancy/Repevax/

The reason you haven't heard of it means the vaccines have been working. I would imagine you were vaccinated, I'm older than you and I had the vaccine as a child but I remember other people having the cough. Weirdly, I didn't have the measles vaccine and remember having that and mumps as a child.

Sorry to be a bit dense, but can you explain that paper to me? It seems to be talking about 2 different shots DTaP and Tdap. Which is given in UK, and is it the same regime as in California (the place of this survey)? Or are they the same thing? If so, why the two names?

Also, if different, if DTaP is given in infancy and Tdap as an adolescent booster, what is the waning of the DTaP?

I'm no expert, but it's the aP for acellular pertussis that's the relevant part. I don't think it's part of the teenage booster in the UK, so it appears to be last given in the preschool booster. When my child got whooping cough my GP also told me that the acellular pertussis vaccine has often worn off after 5 years, that it's primarily to protect babies and young children.

Fair enough.

But why did you cite the paper, if you're not sure if it's relevant to the UK schedule? (are they talking about different formulations - in the same way as the exact components of MMR vary between countries?)

I've read lots of times before that some vaccine's effectiveness wanes (including that of the whooping cough one) - declining to about 40% (?) over time

So I was a bit startled to see 9% after only 4 years. Which is why I was wondering if it is the same formulation in the vaccine (and between the two sets of vaccines, going by the different initials) as given here. And as this paper is so different to others, where the weight of opinion lies at present

I second this about flu. Pregnant woman with flu don’t do well if it gets serious and the lack of lung space makes it hard to ventilate pregnant woman, you need to deliver the baby for the lungs to have more room. OP please don’t turn down the flu, that’s for you.

For gods sake op it's for your baby's sake too.
Please get the vaccine and be grateful you can.

My grandmother in early 1950s England would have grabbed the opportunity to have the whooping cough vaccine. Unfortunately the vaccine wasn't developed then and my aunt died aged 3 in a local children's hospital after developing whooping cough complications-encephalitis. She went blind before she passed away.

My daughter aged 10 had whooping cough in November. It took weeks for her to be diagnosed and she is still coughing now. We took her to hospital twice during that time because the coughing fits and struggle to breathe were genuinely frightening. If she had not been vaccinated it would have been a lot worse. Do you want to see your child fight for breath? This makes me angry.

I got the whooping cough and flu one. Didn't bother with the covid one.

Get vaccinated.

I’ve had whooping cough, it’s hideous. Vaccinations and clean water have saved more lives than any other public health measure.

Smallpox was eradicated by vaccination. Herd immunity relies on all those that can be safely vaccinated, having the vaccination. By being immunised, you are protected those that can’t be vaccinated.

I just had mine done recently and the midwife told me it is to pass some immunity to the baby until they get vaccinated once they are born. I haven't heard about whooping cough but once I researched it, it is pretty nasty and can be fatal for the baby.

I was vaccinated as a child, but the vaccine protection can wane. I caught whooping cough myself about ten years ago. Wasn't nice. Have since had two vaccines whilst pregnant, both times got a sore arm for a few days. I think it's a good idea to help protect your baby.

I’m a paediatric ward manager. Some of the porliest babies and most unpredictable babies that we admit are babies with petussis. They start coughing cannot catch there breath (the whoop noise) go very pale and can often go blue. We also have experience of a 4 month old going into cardiac arrest secondary to a pertussis crisis. Please don’t ever think that pertussis is just a mild cough. For some yes, but you never know what will happen.

It's just the one I was aware of and my GP was saying similar that it's often worn off in five years. It's good if it isn't as bad as I thought!

I've just read posts where people seem to think that the childhood aP vaccine protects in a similar way to some other vaccines, when it's primarily to protect the babies from dying. Parents need to know their older children are still vulnerable to catching it. Mine was 9 and vaccinated and my grandmother said he had it as bad as her brother did. I think we've become a bit more complacent about keeping ill children away from babies.

I remember having it as a child (am late 40s now) and it was awful. Same with mumps. So so painful. Get the vaccine! Hundreds of thousands of people have had it both in pregnancy and as young children and vaccine injury is rare. Don't mess about with the safety of your unborn child when you have a choice.