Whooping cough vaccine

If you’re pregnant, you’re eligible for the whooping cough vaccine. Make sure you get it to protect your baby against whooping cough.

What the whooping cough vaccine is for

The whooping cough vaccine protects your baby against whooping cough.

Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a disease that can be very serious for babies. It’s a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the lungs and airways. It can last for 2 to 3 months.

Babies and young children are at increased risk of complications from whooping cough. It can be very serious, and lead to pneumonia and permanent brain damage. In the worst cases, whooping cough can be life threatening.

Information about the whooping cough vaccine in other languages and formats

Who can get the whooping cough vaccine

In Scotland, the whooping cough vaccine is offered to everyone who is pregnant.

If you’re pregnant, you’ll be offered the vaccine from week 16 of your pregnancy.

It’s better to get the whooping cough vaccine as soon as possible. The sooner you get the vaccine, the more time there is for you to pass antibodies to your baby.

When you get the whooping cough vaccine, your body makes antibodies. These are what your body uses to fight whooping cough. These antibodies will transfer from you to your unborn baby through the placenta. This means that your baby will have some protection from whooping cough as soon as they’re born.

The vaccine will also lower the risk of you developing whooping cough while pregnant. This means there’s a much lower chance of you passing the infection to your unborn baby.

If you’ve had whooping cough before

Even if you’ve had whooping cough before, you need the vaccine to help protect your baby.

Getting the whooping cough vaccine is the best way to protect your baby from whooping cough.

If you’ve had the whooping cough vaccine before

You may have had a vaccine against whooping cough before. This could have been when you were a child or during a previous pregnancy. The immunity you develop from being vaccinated wears off over time.

This means you’ll need to have the vaccine every time you’re pregnant. It’s the best way to protect your baby from getting ill from whooping cough.

If you’ve a newborn baby but were not immunised when pregnant

If you did not get your whooping cough vaccine when you were pregnant, speak to your midwife or health visitor. You may be offered the vaccine if your baby has not yet had their vaccinations at 8 weeks old.

About the whooping cough vaccine

Most people in Scotland will receive the ADACEL vaccine to help protect against whooping cough.

This vaccine protects against 3 different diseases:

There is no whooping cough only vaccine currently available.

If you cannot have the ADACEL whooping cough vaccine, an alternative vaccine (Boostrix-IPV or REPEVAX) may be suitable. Your midwife will be able to advise about which vaccine is right for you.

Read more about vaccine ingredients in the patient information leaflets:

The vaccine cannot cause whooping cough

The whooping cough vaccine is not a live vaccine. It cannot cause you or your baby to contract whooping cough. It’s the safest and most effective way to protect your baby from whooping cough.

You need 1 dose of the whooping cough vaccine

You only need 1 dose of the whooping cough vaccine for you and your baby to be fully protected. This is the same even if you’re expecting more than one baby.

You’ll need to get 1 dose of the whooping cough vaccine every time you’re pregnant.

The whooping cough vaccine protects

Getting the vaccine is an effective way of protecting you and your baby from whooping cough. A whooping cough vaccine has been offered in Scotland since 2012.

The vaccine offers around 90% protection against death from whooping cough in babies under 3 months of age.

Vaccine safety

All medicines (including vaccines) are tested for safety and effectiveness before they’re allowed to be used. Their safety continues to be monitored once in use. The vaccine meets the high safety standards required to be used in the UK and other European countries.

How to get the whooping cough vaccine

Speak to your midwife to find out how to get your whooping cough vaccine.

Other vaccines during pregnancy

You may be offered other vaccines when pregnant. You may be able to get these at the same time as your whooping cough vaccine.

Side effects of the whooping cough vaccine

The whooping cough vaccine is safe and effective. But, like all medicines, it can cause side effects. These are usually mild.

Side effects

After the vaccine, it’s common to see redness and feel tenderness where you had the vaccine.

You may also experience:

a fever
irritation at the injection site
swelling of the vaccinated arm
loss of appetite
a headache

Serious side effects are extremely rare.

Where can I report side effects?

You can report suspected side effects of vaccines and medicines through the Yellow Card Scheme.

This can be done:

via their website
through the Yellow Card Scheme app
by phoning 0800 731 6789 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)

Vaccine Safety Net

Public Health Scotland is a proud member of the Vaccine Safety Net and partners with NHS inform to provide reliable information on vaccine safety.

The Vaccine Safety Net is a global network of websites, evaluated by the World Health Organization, that provides reliable information on vaccine safety.

More about the Vaccine Safety Net

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