Another baby dead of whooping cough

[PaminaMozart]

I'm not pregnant - too old - but wanted to draw attention to the fact that 10 babies have died in England since last November. It seems the rate of vaccinated mothers has declined from 72.6% to just 58,9% over the past 7 years:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/aug/08/whooping-cough-baby-dies-england-ukhsa

Babies can first be vaccinated against the disease when eight weeks old, while pregnant women are advised to get the vaccine at between 16 and 32 weeks.

So sad. i wonder why the vaccination rate is down. My midwife mentioned it multiple times and asked if I'd had it, so I hope that's the case for everyone.

I had the booster when I was pregnant in 2012 because rates were increasing honestly was glad to get it because despite being vaccinated myself as a child I STILL caught it as a child (within 6 months of the vaccine) it seems that my body doesn't retain immunity very well 😅

I wasn’t offered it in either of my pregnancies. I had to proactively ask but it was never mentioned by the midwives.

I had mine done at 24 weeks pregnant now 30+2 x

Too much misinformation and too many conspiracy theorist. We've had kids getting measles at school this year because their moronic parents didn't vaccinate them.

When I had mine a few weeks ago, the nurse mentioned that fewer and fewer people are getting vaccinated. She said that she mentions it to all the pregnant ladies she has an appointment with and a surprising number see it as a "Victorian" or "old fashioned disease" so don't see the need. Idiots.

It has been heavily advertised to me by both my GP surgery, midwives and via adverts in the scan waiting rooms for my pregnancy.

Imo this is due to knock on effects from the COVID era. Many heads in the sand even today over the long lasting impact of policies such as vaccinating everyone including children rather than targeting the most vulnerable, the midwife standoff with the NHS, I could go on.

Every action has a reaction.

As a nurse, I’d say it’s your nurses job to be doing some health/vaccine promotion with these patients and explaining that Whooping Cough is contemporary indeed.

It’s so sad and so unnecessary. It’s not unsurprising though. I had my last pregnancy in a very busy maternity unit. I was there every week as I was a high risk pregnancy. Most times I was there all 50 seats in the waiting area were occupied, as well as the seats in both separate attached ultrasound units. Every week someone came out and asked individuals if they would have whooping cough/flu/covid booster vaccinations and most of the time these were declined. This area has a pretty low uptake of vaccinations in general. Not surprisingly we have had outbreaks of both whooping cough and measles.

Question - can you get a whooping cough vaccine as an adult if you are unvaccinated? I am post-menopausal but have a compromised immune system. I wasn't vaccinated as a child but have had the disease (aged 6), though that doesn't give lasting protection. I really don't want it again as I remember how ill I was!

You were so lucky to have been offered it. I was pregnant in early 2012 and it wasn’t being offered then 😭

She is. It's patients she talks to who don't see the need to have it.

She (the nurse) also mentioned that people think it's going to be a real battle to get an appointment at the GP for it so put off ringing. I can appreciate that opinion, because it was mine. Although I was pleasantly surprised.

I don't recall whooping cough boosters being mentioned in any of my three pregnancies though they were some time ago because all of my three DDs are in their twenties now. Youngest was born in 2002. Older two were born in 1995 and 1998.

I'm guessing that circumstances and advice have changed/been updated in the intervening years. I totally agree with the idea of vaccination during pregnancy. If it had been suggested to me I would have gone with it. It wasn't though, and it didn't occur to me to ask.

All of my babies were vaccinated at the earliest opportunity, at 6 or 8 weeks of age.

Too many googlers doing their own 'research' and making stupid decisions not to vaccinate.

That's so sad. I really don't understand why anyone wouldn't get the vaccination, it's been around ages and is proven to be very safe.

I had whooping cough in my early teens and it was really, really horrible, I can easily understand why it kills babies. (My mum didn't vaccinate me because it was apparently contra-indicated for babies with childhood eczema in the early 80s.)

I’ve done some research and it’s really quite difficult to find places that do it for non pregnant adults. London Harley street do. But places are far and few between because it’s considered a ‘rare’ infection in adults that is managed at home with low risk.
Its extremely nasty for adults and teens (who’s immunity is wearing off) though if you get it and lasts months with long lasting damage to throat and sometimes voice box.
Other countries have routine too ups available every 10 years for everyone

To be pregnant and not have the vaccine in my trust would take concerted effort. I've been offered it every time I've gone in and they do it there and then. If numbers have gone down it's people choosing not to have it.

The reason it's rife is because the GPs are super thick, so even when you present with a clear case of whooping cough and tell them its whooping cough, they say 'nah its viral, feel free to circulate far and wide across your community including newborn babies'. When you insist on a test they ring you up sheepishly 3 weeks later saying 'oops, my bad, here's some antibiotics 3 weeks too late, try and stay in and not infect anyone'

I repeatedly asked for it during covid from GP and midwife and eventually gave up because they treated me like I was being a pain asking for it. I would assume some of the decline in uptake over the last 7 years is Covid related.

That's so sad. My midwife and paediatrician for the little one have been SO sheepish about vaccinations generally. They sort of start the conversation expecting to get pushback from me, they're ready with facts and assurances with why they're good etc. It's so obvious they're dealing with so many people choosing not to have them.

I had my whooping cough vaccination on Tuesday at my 20 week scan and I also had it with my two other children. I really don't get the people choosing not get vaccinated either. I would rather focus on statistics and advice from medical professionals. Since Covid there have been a lot of anti vaxers and conspiracy theorists floating about so I don't know if that's why there is such a decline. Personally I could never forgive myself if I refused the vaccine and my baby became ill with it.

Literally my experience in 2012, when I had the vaccine in pregnancy but too late to stop me from getting ill. I've never had anything like it before, or since.

The midwife at my booking appointment told me I didn't need it in my second pregnancy since I'd had it with my first two years prior. I phoned GP and they clarified that that's absolutely not the case, and I had it done again. I wonder how many other medical professionals are out there spreading misinformation..?

It was mentioned to me at my 12 week scan along with new RSV vaccine, they had a vaccination nurse/midwife whose job it is is to advise on the vaccines and administer them. I saw her asking several people in the waiting area all of which declined any vaccinations without the nurse even being able go give them a leaflet or talk about it.

I had it during both pregnancies (2019 and 2022) - I had to remind the midwife for the 2022 one, but she got the practice nurse to pop in and they did it there and then. The 2019 one was a special Saturday morning clinic for pregnant women. I'm glad I had those boosters, not just for the sake of my babies, but for my own sake, given the increase in cases nowadays!