Pertussis is also known as whooping cough. This can be a very mild cough in adults, cause a ‘whoop’ in children and cause very serious breathing problems for newborns. Pertussis is easily spread even by people who don’t know they are sick.

 

We recommend all pregnant people get a pertussis booster in each pregnancy around 27 - 32 weeks. This stimulates your immune system to make antibodies that pass through the placenta to give some protection to baby from pertussis when they are born until they are old enough to receive their own vaccine at 2 months. 

 

Please contact your local Public Health unit to arrange your pertussis (TDaP) booster.