Pertussis Vaccine: Why is this essential to protect your baby's life?

Have you ever noticed that your little one starts out with a cold and then gradually gets worse and has a persistent, unstoppable cough for days? Sometimes, when they cough, their face turns red and they have difficulty breathing. When they breathe out after coughing, they make a strange 'whooping' sound. This is what we call Pertussis or ' Whooping Cough ' in English. This can be very dangerous for young children, especially for babies who are a few months old. So today , let's talk about the best way to protect our children from this dangerous disease, which is the whooping cough vaccine.

Simply put, what is this pertussis vaccine?

The whooping cough vaccine trains our bodies, especially our children, to fight the respiratory disease called whooping cough. To be precise, this disease is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis . When this bacterium enters our respiratory system, that unstoppable cough occurs. Breathing can stop and start again between coughing spells. In medicine, we call this 'apnea' . This is very dangerous for small babies.

So what this vaccine does is give the body a harmless part of the bacteria and teach our immune system to make antibodies to fight it. Then, if the whooping cough germ ever actually gets into our body, our body will recognize it and quickly fight it off.

Why is this vaccine so important?

This is a very important question. There are several main reasons why this vaccine is important.

1. Prevents serious complications in babies: If a young baby gets whooping cough, it can lead to serious complications. For example, pneumonia , which is a lung infection , uncontrollable body movements ( convulsions ), and sometimes brain damage . These are serious conditions that can affect a child's life. Vaccination greatly reduces this risk.

2. Controls the spread of the disease: Another dangerous thing about whooping cough is that it initially shows symptoms similar to a common cold. So many people don't know they have the disease. Therefore, if an unvaccinated person gets the disease, they can easily spread it to those around them, especially young children who are not old enough to get vaccinated. If everyone gets vaccinated, the spread of this disease in society can be largely controlled.

What are the types of whooping cough vaccines?

There are two types of whooping cough vaccines. Both of these vaccines provide protection against not only whooping cough, but also several other diseases.

• DTaP vaccine: This is given to children under the age of 7. The letter 'D' stands for Diphtheria , a bacterial infection of the throat and nose, the letter 'T' stands for Tetanus , a bacterial infection of the nervous system, and the letter 'aP' stands for acellular Pertussis .
• Tdap vaccine: This is a 'booster' vaccine. This means it is given to maintain the protection that was previously given. It is given to young children and adults . It also provides protection against all three diseases (diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough).

Simply put, DTaP is a basic series of vaccines given in childhood. Tdap is like a 'reminder' given periodically afterwards to maintain immunity.

What is the schedule for getting vaccinated?

It is very important to follow this schedule exactly, especially for young children, to complete the DTaP vaccination series.

How to give DTaP vaccine to young children

The DTaP vaccine is given to young children as a series of 5 doses. The schedule for administering this vaccine according to the National Immunization Program in Sri Lanka is shown in the table below.

Young children and adults

Young children are given the Tdap vaccine between the ages of 11-12. After that, it is important for adults to get this Tdap booster vaccine every 10 years .

This is especially important for pregnant mothers!

It is extremely important for pregnant mothers to get the Tdap vaccine. When this vaccine is given during the third trimester of pregnancy, the baby also receives the antibodies that the mother's body produces. Therefore, these antibodies protect the baby from whooping cough until the baby is born and is old enough to get the vaccine himself (up to 2 months). It is also very important for all adults who visit a newborn baby or spend time with a baby to keep their Tdap vaccine up-to-date.

What to do if you miss a dose of the vaccine?

Don't worry. It can happen sometimes. If your child misses a dose of the DTaP vaccine series, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. The missed dose can be given at the next doctor's appointment. Also, if a young child misses a Tdap booster or an adult has never had this vaccine before, talk to your doctor about it the next time you see him and get the vaccine.

Who should not get this vaccine?

Generally, you can get the vaccine if you have a minor illness, such as a cold or the flu. However, if you have a more serious illness, it is best to wait until you are well before getting the vaccine.

Also, some people may not be eligible for this vaccine. If you or your child has any of the following conditions, be sure to talk to your doctor before getting the vaccine.

• Having a rare neurological condition such as Guillain-Barré syndrome .
• If you have had a severe allergic reaction to a previous whooping cough vaccine.
• If you have had severe pain, a fever over 40.5 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit), or severe swelling after receiving a previous vaccine.
• Having seizures or other nervous system conditions.
• Having a severe allergy to any of the ingredients in any vaccine.

In this case, your doctor will advise you on what is best for you.

What are the possible side effects of the vaccine?

Most people do not experience serious side effects from this vaccine. Minor side effects usually go away on their own within a day or two. These are a normal way the body responds to the vaccine.

These symptoms usually subside within a day or two. However, if these symptoms are severe or last for several days, it is best to talk to your doctor.

How effective is the whooping cough vaccine?

This vaccine is highly effective when all recommended doses are taken exactly as directed.

• For children (DTaP): After the fifth dose, 98 out of 100 children are protected from disease for at least a year. After 5 years, 7 out of 10 are protected.
• For adults (Tdap): Protects 7 out of 10 people within the first year of vaccination.
• The protection that pregnant mothers get when they get vaccinated: This is the most important thing. When vaccinated during pregnancy, 3 out of 4 babies are prevented from developing whooping cough in the first 2 months of life. Also, 9 out of 10 babies are protected from severe whooping cough infections that require hospitalization.

These statistics alone show how important this vaccine is in protecting the lives of our children.

Whooping Cough, Pertussis, DTaP Vaccine, Tdap Vaccine, Childhood Vaccines, Pregnancy, Baby Health, Immunization, Sri Lanka