Experts praise vaccine work
EFFORTS by GPs and midwives to protect unborn babies in Halton against a serious childhood disease have been praised by immunisation leaders.
Reports from the Cheshire And Merseyside Immunisation team show an increase in the number of pregnant women receiving the vaccine for whooping cough, also known as pertussis.
Latest available figures show an increase in vaccination take-up in all 12 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Cheshire and Merseyside – including Halton.
Most women receive it during their pregnancy which protects babies before they can start their own vaccinations.
Those born to unvaccinated mothers are vulnerable to whooping cough as they do not receive their first dose of the vaccine until they are two months old.
Despite the uptake in vaccination, whooping cough remains at raised levels with more than 200 confirmed cases in Cheshire and Merseyside in 2016 compared with 154 in 2015, according to Pub- lic Health England (PHE).
Of these cases 15 were in babies under the age of three months.
Cheshire and Merseyside screening and immunisation lead Dr Dan Seddon said: “Our figures reveal that take-up of the vaccination by pregnant women is rising and this is in large part due to increased awareness, the efforts of our immunisation teams and the proactivity of GPs and midwifes.
“However, latest figures show that whooping cough is still prevalent and it’s important that pregnant women take up the offer for vaccination when they are about 20 weeks into their pregnancy.
“Being vaccinated against whooping cough while you’re pregnant is a highly effective way to protect your baby in the first few weeks of their life.
“The immunity you get from the vaccine passes to your baby and provides them with protection until they are old enough to be routinely vaccinated against whooping cough at two months old.”
Pregnant women in the UK have been offered whooping cough vaccine since October 2012 and PHE research discovered that babies born to women who were vaccinated at least a week before birth had a 91% reduced risk, compared with babies whose mothers were not vaccinated.
A PHE spokeswoman said: “Whooping cough is an acute chest infection, which usually begins with mild, cold-like symptoms.
“It develops over one to two weeks into coughing fits that can be severe. The cough can often last for two to three months.
“Whooping cough can be very serious – even fatal – particularly in young babies if their mothers were not vaccinated during pregnancy.” ●