Whooping cough vaccinations move

Sep 28 2012

Pregnant women are to be immunised against whooping cough in a bid to protect their new-born babies.

The temporary programme for mothers-to-be is being introduced after Scotland suffered the worst outbreak of the disease since the 1980s.

Health Protection Scotland has reported 1,037 confirmed cases of whooping cough - which is also known as pertussis - so far this year. This compares to 61 cases over the same period in 2011.

A total of 65 of the cases this year were reported in babies under the age of three months.

New-born children cannot normally be vaccinated until they are at least eight weeks old. However, pregnant women are to be vaccinated so they can pass on some short-term immunity to their babies when they are born.

The temporary immunisation programme is being brought in after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations recommended offering the vaccine to those women who are between 28 weeks and 38 weeks pregnant.

Public health minister Michael Matheson explained: "We know that whooping cough is highly contagious and it can be most serious for young babies under the age of one.

"Over recent months we have seen an increase in cases of whooping cough and this vaccination programme aims to give new-born babies the protection they need."

He also urged parents to ensure children are vaccinated against the disease "to help stop further spread of the virus".

The temporary vaccination programme is due to begin in October and will initially run for six months.