A recent study conducted by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has confirmed the effectiveness of prenatal vaccination in the prevention of whooping cough. The CDPH studied 690 infants in the state of California who were infected with the disease and found that infants whose mothers received a prenatal vaccination for whooping cough had a significantly lower rate of hospitalization and admittance to the ICU. Additionally, no deaths were reported among these infants. The results of this study come on the heels of a state-wide whooping cough epidemic in 2014, and continued above-average rates of infection.
The Prenatal vaccination for whooping cough is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for all expectant mothers. In the past, the CDC recommended the vaccine was only given to mothers who had not previously been vaccinated. Studies such as the one conducted by the CDPH are responsible for this change, making it clear that a simple vaccination can potentially save the lives of thousands of infants.
Pregnant women should be given the vaccine during the third trimester, starting at 27 weeks. Exposure to the vaccine will cause the mother’s body to produce the necessary antibodies to fight off the disease, while also passing off some of these antibodies to the unborn child. These antibodies will then provide crucial early life protection against the disease until the child receives additional vaccinations at two months.
While the vaccination may not prevent the disease itself, the antibodies will provide protection from more serious complications and significantly reduce the child’s risk of death. A whooping cough vaccination can be given at vaccination clinics, doctor’s offices, and pharmacies.
Providing adequate health care to both mother and baby during the course of the pregnancy is vital to the lifelong health of the child. For more information on this and other important medical and insurance issues, contact The Benefits Store today.