Whooping cough (pertussis) cases are rising and babies who are too young to start their vaccinations are at greatest risk.
553 new cases were confirmed in England during January 2024, compared with 858 cases for the whole of 2023.
Young babies with whooping cough are often very unwell and many are likely to need hospital treatment as it can lead to pneumonia and permanent brain damage.
If you are pregnant, you can help protect your baby by getting vaccinated, ideally from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks pregnant. The immunity you get from the vaccine passes to your baby through the placenta and protects them until they are old enough to be vaccinated at 8 weeks old.
Vaccination in pregnant women is 97% effective at preventing death in young infants from whooping cough.
For more information, please see the below attachment.
