Pregnant Women Advised to Receive Whooping Cough Vaccine

It’s something that most people don’t think about, but recently the whooping cough vaccine has taken center stage. Whooping cough is a terrible medical condition that used to be a problem years ago and then seemed to go away. The sad reality is that it’s come back to hit hard, and now families need to be mindful about protecting themselves against it. This is an instance where an immunization can be key, and even those who aren’t usually in favor of vaccinations are starting to see the benefits. The very unfortunate part of this disease is that it can affect the most innocent of patients—babies—as well as pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems.

The whooping cough vaccine is admittedly a newer type of immunization, but one that is entirely welcome. What has been happening is that a lot of babies have been exposed to a number of viruses very early in their lives. It may be due to older siblings being around or just to environmental issues. Whatever the case, when a baby is still very young and before his or her immune system is strong enough, this can quickly develop into a bigger problem. Many of these babies have developed a strong cough that the parents seem to have trouble calming in any way. When that happens, it is often too late as the baby has developed whooping cough, and then it is often difficult to get them the help that they need.

Too Helpful to Ignore

Because babies are becoming afflicted with this very serious medical condition, it has been recommended that pregnant women get the whooping cough vaccine. First and foremost, this is to protect them while they are pregnant so that they don’t become ill and, therefore, experience difficulty in the proper development of their baby. The other part of this, though, is that if a pregnant woman gets this vaccine, it is believed, there may be some protective benefit for the baby as well. It is still recommended that the baby get this vaccine early on, but the expectant mother getting it first can be a great proactive measure.

So, though adding yet another immunization may not be ideal, the whooping cough vaccine offers too much protection for mother and baby to bypass it. Since babies are so frequently affected by this terrible condition, it’s imperative to be proactive. Parents may not like the idea of another shot, but this is one that can save lives. Just a simple cold can quickly develop into something bigger, and that’s where the problems come in. A mother getting the vaccination while she’s pregnant can protect not only her but her unborn child, too. It is well worth the trouble if just one vaccine can protect against so much risk!