Whooping Cough Vaccination for Travellers
If you are travelling abroad to visit an new addition to your family, consider whooping cough (pertussis)
Pertussis or whooping cough is a respiratory disease mainly in young children. In the UK there are routine vaccinations given against this at birth and pre-school. An additional vaccine is given to pregnant mothers to protect the child from birth.
The rest of the world follow a different vaccination schedule where additional doses of pertussis contai9ning vaccine are given during school years. This provides more doses than the UK, but these schedules do not include vaccinating the pregnant mother.
As a consequence, visiting family and friends with a new-born child in another country, from the UK, are often asked for additional pertussis vaccine. Under the NHS these vaccines are not available and hence can only be provided by clinics such as CityDoc.
Written by Derek Evans FFTM RCPS(Glasgow), FISTM, FRPharmS, FRGS
Travel Health and Vaccination Lead
