Whooping Cough
Whooping Cough Vaccine
Fill out our online consultation form today to take the first step toward safeguarding yourself, your family, and your community from this dangerous illness.
What is Whooping Cough?
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that affects the lungs and the breathing tubes. It is easily spread through coughing, sneezing, or close contact with an infected person. While it can affect people of all ages, it is particularly dangerous for babies under one year old. In these infants, whooping cough can lead to severe complications, including:
Dehydration
Breathing difficulties
Pneumonia
Seizures
In older children and adults, the symptoms are generally less severe but can still lead to discomfort or complications such as:
Sore ribs due to intense coughing
Hernia caused by persistent coughing
Middle ear infections
For those who are pregnant or in close contact with babies, such as parents, carers, or grandparents, it’s essential to get vaccinated to help prevent the spread of whooping cough to vulnerable infants.
Symptoms of Whooping Cough
Whooping cough symptoms begin similarly to a cold, with a sore throat or a runny nose. However, after a few days, the infection progresses into more severe coughing bouts that can last for several weeks or even months. Symptoms to watch out for include:
Severe coughing spells that can last for several minutes, often worsening at night
The “whoop” sound – a sharp gasp for air between coughs (young babies and some adults may not make the whooping sound)
Breathing difficulties after coughing spells, which may cause the person to turn blue or grey (particularly in infants)
Thick mucus that may be brought up, sometimes causing vomiting
Redness in the face, particularly in adults after coughing fits
While the symptoms can be alarming, the cough itself can linger for weeks, and in some cases, months. That’s why early protection through vaccination is so important.
The Whooping Cough Vaccine
The whooping cough vaccine is typically administered as part of the routine vaccination schedule for infants, starting at 8 weeks and continuing until the age of 3 years. It is also offered to pregnant women on the NHS to help protect newborns from this highly contagious disease.
we offer the whooping cough vaccine to ensure you and your loved ones are protected. In many countries outside the UK, pertussis vaccination is strongly recommended for adults, as well as for family members and close contacts of newborns, to prevent the transmission of whooping cough to vulnerable infants.
It’s important to note that travellers over the age of 10 are not routinely offered pertussis vaccination, even if they have an incomplete vaccine history. However, getting vaccinated before traveling or in situations where you might be in close contact with infants or others at risk is strongly encouraged.
The vaccine we provide is combined with others to protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and poliomyelitis (polio).
Please register with PharmaDoctor using the link after booking
https://pharmadoctor.co.uk/patient/location-referrer/11514/75
