THE pandemic has too easily distracted us from other health threats that are no less important, including whooping cough (pertussis). There was an outbreak in 2012, with more than 9,000 cases in England alone. Fourteen babies died.
The causes aren’t clear, and while there has been a fall in cases since then (to around 4,000 in 2017), numbers are still high (until 2011, there were less than 1,000 cases per year).
A baby must be at least eight weeks old to be vaccinated, so those first few weeks of life are when they’re at greatest risk.
Pregnant women can protect their babies by having a booster jab between 16 and 32 weeks. The antibodies triggered by the injection pass across the placenta and protect the baby so that, once born, the infant is safe from infection. This should last for around a year.
Covid-19 has focused our attention on the threat of infectious diseases. Effective protection from many of these threats already exists, and ensuring you’re up to date with vaccinations is every bit as important as social distancing.
© Solo dmg media
