What are the current vaccination recommendations to prevent whooping cough in infants and adults?

Current vaccination recommendations to prevent whooping cough (pertussis) in infants and adults focus primarily on maternal immunisation during pregnancy and routine infant immunisation schedules.

In the UK, pregnant women are routinely offered the pertussis-containing vaccine (usually the combined diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine, dTaP/IPV) ideally between 16 and 32 weeks of gestation to provide passive immunity to the infant, reducing the risk of severe pertussis in early life before the infant’s own vaccinations begin. Antenatal care providers should check vaccination status after the 20-week scan and ensure vaccination is offered and accepted during pregnancy ¹.

For infants, the primary immunisation schedule includes doses of the pertussis-containing vaccine at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme, providing direct protection as the maternal antibodies wane ¹.

In adults, pertussis vaccination is recommended particularly for those in close contact with infants (cocooning strategy) and healthcare workers. Adults who have not previously received a pertussis-containing vaccine as part of their routine immunisations should receive a single dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine to boost immunity and reduce transmission risk to vulnerable infants ¹ (Suryadevara and Domachowske, 2015).

Booster doses of pertussis-containing vaccines may be given in adulthood, especially in outbreak settings or for healthcare workers, to maintain immunity, as natural and vaccine-induced immunity wanes over time (von König et al., 2002; Suryadevara and Domachowske, 2015).

Overall, the UK guidelines emphasise opportunistic vaccination offers, reminders, and accessible vaccination services to maximise uptake in pregnant women, infants, and adults at risk ¹. The literature supports these recommendations, highlighting the importance of maternal vaccination to protect infants and adult vaccination to reduce transmission (Liang et al., 2018; Suryadevara and Domachowske, 2015).