Being vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough) protects your baby
(07-12-2015)

In the last few years there has been an increase of serious whooping cough cases in breastfed babies under 6 months. Even three newborn babies in Spain passed away recently. In order to protect neonates is recommended to vaccine the mother-to-be with a single dose of DTaP (containing diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis) which protects the patient and the neonate from whooping cough, as well as the tetanus. This way the newborn will be protected due to the reduction of the infection source –which could be the mother– and thanks to the antibodies generated in the mother which will be passed to the baby.

In order to achieve the greater possible concentration of antibodies in the mother and in the fetus at the moment of birth, it’s recommended to be vaccinated between week 27 and week 36 of pregnancy (the optimal time is between week 30 and week 32). At Institut Marquès we highly recommend our patients to follow our advice and get immunized during these weeks.