Prevention: Parents-to-be
Pregnant? Help Protect Your Baby from Whooping Cough
Learn why Laura decided to get the whooping cough vaccine in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy and how her baby girl was born with some protection against the disease.
Also available on YouTube.
Pertussis (whooping cough) can lead to serious illness, needing treatment in the hospital, and death. Babies who are too young to be well-protected by pertussis vaccines are especially at risk. You can help protect your baby from pertussis by:
- Getting a pertussis vaccine (Tdap) if you are pregnant
- Encouraging those around your baby to be up-to-date with pertussis vaccination
- Making sure your baby starts getting his pertussis vaccines on time, at 2 months old
Learn more about how each of these steps offers protection to your baby.
References
- Liang JL, Tiwari T, Moro P, et al. Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria with Vaccines in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018;67(2):1–44.
Resources for Parents-to-be
- Pregnancy and Whooping Cough
- Vaccine Information Statements (Td and Tdap)
- Infographic: Protect Babies from Whooping Cough
- Pertussis Resources for Pregnant Women
- Adolescent and Adult Vaccine Quiz
- Page last reviewed: August 7, 2017
- Page last updated: May 8, 2018
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