Child health researchers at the Telethon Kids Institute have welcomed the announcement by Health Minister Dr Kim Hames that whooping cough vaccination is to be provided free for all West Australian women during pregnancy.
Childhood infectious diseases expert Dr Tom Snelling said whooping cough remains an important cause of serious illness in newborns and it is largely preventable.
"Newborn babies are too young to be fully protected by vaccination and are vulnerable to severe whooping cough," Dr Snelling said.
"We previously showed that vaccinating parents helps to shield or 'cocoon' newborns from exposure to whooping cough, but waiting until after delivery was not the best strategy. We now know that vaccinating mothers during pregnancy is safe and it appears to be a much more effective way of protecting babies from serious whooping cough.
"We have also shown that protection against whooping cough starts to wear off within a couple years of vaccination, and this can pose a risk for babies who have older siblings in the household. To provide even better protection, we look forward to the reintroduction of a routine booster dose of whooping vaccine for all 18 month olds."
Dr Snelling is Scientific Director of the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at Telethon Kids Institute.
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