Can adults get whooping cough from babies?

Grandparents and other carers in contact with children who are less than six months old should also have an adult pertussis booster, even if they have been infected with whooping cough in the past. Every adult is susceptible to whooping cough infection unless they have had a recent pertussis booster.

Do I need a whooping cough shot to be around a newborn?

If a child will be around the baby and is not up to date with their whooping cough shots (called DTaP vaccine), they should get vaccinated. Preteens, teens, and adults who will be around the baby and have not already had a whooping cough booster shot (called Tdap vaccine) should get vaccinated.

Can a baby survive whooping cough?

Of those babies who get treatment for whooping cough in a hospital, about 1 out of 4 will get pneumonia and 1 or 2 out of 100 will die. Other complications include violent, uncontrolled shaking, life-threatening pauses in breathing, and brain disease.

Is whooping cough contagious to adults?

Risk factors. Whooping cough is highly contagious, and whooping cough vaccinations wear off as people get older. Adults who have not received the whooping cough booster vaccine Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) have a higher risk of contracting whooping cough.

When is it too late for whooping cough vaccine?

When should I have the whooping cough vaccine? The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby is from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy. This maximises the chance that your baby will be protected from birth, through the transfer of your antibodies before he or she is born.

Should visitors get whooping cough vaccine?

All visitors should be vaccinated. This ‘cocooning’ prevents caregivers from inadvertently infecting the baby with this awful disease. Persons without apparent symptoms can spread whooping cough ( a bit like COVID-19 can spread from asymptomatic people).

How long is a person with whooping cough contagious?

How long whooping cough is contagious. You’re contagious from about 6 days after the start of cold-like symptoms to 3 weeks after the coughing starts. If you start antibiotics within 3 weeks of starting to cough, it will reduce the time you’re contagious for.

What happens if you don’t get the Tdap while pregnant?

If you didn’t get the Tdap vaccine before or during pregnancy, get it right after you give birth. It takes your body 2 weeks to build up protection after getting vaccinated. Once that happens, you’re less likely to pass pertussis to your baby. Your baby gets his first pertussis vaccination at 2 months old.