Protecting Baby Against Whooping Cough
April 11, 2023
A new study finds that mothers who receive the whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy give birth to infants who are better protected against the infection.
The study in JAMA Pediatrics examined the more than 57,000 cases reported in babies under one-year-old from 2000 to 2019.
Whooping cough may begin like a common cold, but unlike a cold, the coughing can last for weeks or months.
According to Ashanti Woods, M.D., FAAP, a specialist in General Pediatrics at Mercy Family Care Physicians, babies whose moms are not vaccinated are at the highest risk of getting sick until they're two months old and get their own shots.
"About 1,000 visits a year take place in the youngest of babies, often requiring an ICU admission where babies have to sometimes be ventilated," said Dr. Woods.
Woods added that pregnant women should get the vaccine during each pregnancy between weeks 27 and 36.
About Mercy
Founded in 1874 in Downtown Baltimore by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is a 183-licensed bed, acute care, university-affiliated teaching hospital. Mercy has been recognized as a high-performing Maryland hospital (U.S. News & World Report); has achieved an overall 5-Star quality, safety, and patient experience rating (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services); is A-rated for Hospital Safety (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade); and is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet™ hospital. Mercy Health Services is a not-for-profit health system and the parent company of Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Personal Physicians.
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