New Zealand is Currently Experiencing a Whooping Cough Epidemic

How Can You Help Protect Your Family?

As a grandparent, you will be keen to protect the health of infants in your family, so it will no doubt be of concern to you that NZ is experiencing an ongoing whooping cough epidemic. Young babies are at particular risk and in 2012, 182 hospitalisations for whooping cough were in infants under 1 year of age.

Every four to five years NZ sees a peak in whooping cough; experience tells us that we can expect more hospitalisations, particularly for babies too young to be fully protected by immunisation. Babies who have not completed their vaccination course for whooping cough are most susceptible, and over 70% of infant cases are caught off a parent or close family member.

Whooping cough is an easy to catch disease; the infection spreads easily through a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, sharing food or even kissing between family members. Up to 90% of people who are not protected and catch whooping cough, are infected by someone in their household.

A baby's protection against whooping cough is built up over a course of three vaccinations given at 6 weeks, 3 and 5 months of age. However, until fully vaccinated a baby is dependent on those closest for whooping cough protection.

Whooping cough can affect older children and adults resulting in prolonged bouts of coughing that can last for many weeks, but it is more serious in babies especially during the first 5 months when they are too young to be fully vaccinated. A baby with whooping cough might go blue or appear to stop breathing. In severe cases it can lead to pneumonia, fits, brain damage and even death. Whooping cough can also be serious in adults, with complications such as pneumonia and violent coughing possibly resulting in a rib fracture.

Even if you have previously been vaccinated or had whooping cough, like with tetanus, immunity reduces over time. If your son or daughter is expecting or planning to have a baby, or you already have a newborn grandchild in the family, help protect them by having your whooping cough booster vaccination.

Please talk to your doctor or nurse for further information

Or contact the Immunisation Advisory Centre www.immune.org.nz, 0800 IMMUNE or visit www.whoopingcough.co.nz.

This is a paid advertorial, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, Auckland NZ. TAPS NA6389/13AP/BOO/0019/13