Protect against whooping cough
Taupo mum, Miriama Turei, knows what it’s like to watch a six week old baby having coughing fits, struggling to breathe and turning blue from whooping cough.
She would do anything to have prevented that experience for her child.
Luckily her baby, Tellen - now a happy four year old - was breastfed and had been immunised at six weeks with her first of the three whooping cough immunisations.
‘‘I just thank my lucky stars that Tellen had that first lot of immunisations and was on breast milk,’’ she said.
‘‘The immunisation was enough for her body to have a little bit of help to fight it. It breaks my heart that the disease is preventable.’’
Turei has no hesitation in urging other mums to get the free whooping cough immunisation when they are pregnant and ensure their children get all their immunisations on time to make sure they are protected from the highly contagious disease.
‘‘She suffered for months. When doctors said it’s the 100 day cough, it really is.’’
When Tellen started coughing and getting distressed one night, Turei knew there was something seriously wrong with her baby. Tellen deteriorated quickly and was sent to Rotorua Hospital, where she and her mum spent 10 days in isolation. That’s when the whoop started.
Whooping cough is often spread by adults who are highly infectious for two weeks before symptoms appear. At the time, Tellen got sick, the whole family was coughing.
Community paediatrician, Belinda Coulter, said while there is not a whooping cough epidemic at present, the disease is still around and they are seeing occasional cases. Immunisation is the best way of protecting your baby.
Getting immunised while pregnant gives baby some protection as the antibodies pass from mother to baby. The whooping cough vaccine is not a live vaccine and is considered safe in pregnancy.
Anyone with any questions about the whooping cough immunisation should talk to their doctor. For more information on immunisation, call 0800 IMMUNE, go to http:/ /www.immune.org.nz/ or www.health.govt.nz