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Pregnant Women Need Whooping Cough Vaccine, Says CDC
Pregnant women are now advised to get vaccinated against whooping cough in the second or third trimester.
Do you think whooping cough is a thing of the past? Not anymore. Just last week, officials in Long Island, New York reported an outbreak of whooping cough (also known as pertussis). The affected children are said to have already been vaccinated against the disease and medical experts believe the vaccine wore off. Thirteen students in three different schools in Long Island have been confirmed with the contagious bacterial infection. Now an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all pregnant women should be vaccinated against whooping cough, and say the vaccination should not be given until the late second or third trimester.
According to MSNBC, the panel also recommended that other groups should also be vaccinated, and for more than just pertussis:
“The panel also recommended that teens and adults in close contact with newborns receive a single dose of the vaccine if they had not received it previously, in order to form a “cocoon” of immunity to protect newborns until they’re old enough to be fully vaccinated themselves. The panel also voted to recommend that a vaccine against meningitis, which is a life-threatening bacterial infection, be given to high-risk infants when they are only 9 months old.”
The debate over vaccines in general is a hot one, and parents have very strong views on both sides of it. Many parents who have lost children to vaccinations vehemently deny their safety. Similarly, parents whose children have contracted diseases simply because they weren’t vaccinated feel just as strongly in favor of vaccines.
Pregnancy is an an even more sensitive time for a mom to inject live vaccine into her body as her baby is growing. I’m not sure how I would feel about getting the vaccine if I were pregnant now. During my pregnancies, there was never a question of getting a booster pertussis shot.
Would you get the whooping cough vaccine while pregnant?
Image: MorgueFile
Babble Feature: Required Vaccinations and why parents are still skeptical
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6 Comments
goddess commented on Jun 23 11 at 6:10 pmNO. But I do keep current with the TDaP – I just wouldn’t get it during pregnancy.
Snarky Mama commented on Jun 23 11 at 7:03 pmIt’s “on” Long Island, not “in” Long Island. As a native Lawn Guylander myself, this is a total pet peeve of mine.
Meagan commented on Jun 24 11 at 8:29 amHmm… I’d have to think about it since so recently the recommendation was NOT to get it while pregnant. I got mine two days after giving birth.
Katie commented on Jun 24 11 at 2:02 pmMy husband and I both got the pertussis vaccine in the hospital, before my baby and I were discharged. It was standard hospital policy to offer it. I got the H1N1 vaccine while pregnant, based on my OB’s very strong recommendations—but only because of the risks of contracting H1N1 while pregnant. Otherwise, I’m happy with our hospital’s immediately after birth policy. One less thing to worry about, you know?
Ashley commented on Jun 24 11 at 4:18 pmI’d have to consult my doc about it first. From what I’ve read, it’s safe to give pregnant women vaccines that are made of dead viruses or virus proteins. It’s not safe to get live viruses. I don’t know which form the whooping cough vaccine come in.
Tania commented on Jun 24 11 at 7:39 pmI’m 25 weeks pregnant and got my Tdap vaccine yesterday. The only side effect that I have is a sore arm. The risks of the vaccine are nothing compared to that of the real thing. The vaccine that is given to adults is made by Adacel. It’s different than the vaccine given to young children. It was actually my prenatal doctor who recommended that I get a booster.
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