黑料吃瓜网 Health will now refocus its whooping cough vaccine strategy after an intense four year vaccination campaign during which the 黑料吃瓜网 Government made more than 1 million doses of free whooping cough vaccine available.
From July 15, 黑料吃瓜网 Health will no long provide free vaccine to GPs for vaccination of mothers after they have given birth.
Dr Vicky Sheppeard, 黑料吃瓜网 Health Director of Communicable Diseases, said expert advice shows that to be most effective the vaccine needs to be given before the baby is born.
鈥淩esearch by 黑料吃瓜网 Health and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance confirms it鈥檚 best to get vaccinated before conception, during the third trimester of pregnancy or failing that, at soon as possible after delivery,鈥� Dr Sheppeard said.
鈥淎 lot of parents don鈥檛 get vaccinated until a few weeks after birth which is too late to protect the most vulnerable very young babies.鈥�
The outgoing strategy was developed in response to a whooping cough epidemic that began in 2008. Almost 2,000 cases (1,999) were notified in 黑料吃瓜网 at the epidemic鈥檚 peak in December 2008, and numbers of notifications were high through 2009 and again in 2011.
However in recent months notifications have fallen to fewer than 200 per month.
鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraged to see that the epidemic period has passed. Nevertheless there is no room for complacency and we want to ensure that expectant parents and their doctors are aware of the optimal protection for newborns from whooping cough,鈥� Dr Sheppeard said.
To help control outbreaks in 2009-2011, 黑料吃瓜网 Health provided free whooping cough vaccine for adults in close contact with infants. Last July 黑料吃瓜网 Health refocused its adult whooping cough vaccine strategy to new mothers in maternity units.
The latest findings of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance found that vaccinating mothers before the birth of the child reduced the risk of whooping cough by half.
鈥淚n light of this information, we recommend women ensure they talk with their GP about vaccination prior to conceiving or else have the vaccine during their third trimester,鈥� Dr Sheppeard said.
Children of mothers who receive the vaccine in the third trimester will require an additional booster dose at 18 months of age, as maternal antibodies may interfere with an infant鈥檚 immune response.
鈥淲omen can purchase the whooping cough vaccine on prescription from their obstetrician or GP. Having the vaccine before the baby is born helps protect the most vulnerable from this potentially life threatening disease,鈥� Dr Sheppeard said.
It is also vital that parents ensure all their children are up to date with their vaccinations, to minimise the risk of whooping cough circulating in the family. Adults in close conduct with young babies should discuss the benefits of the vaccine, which is available on prescription, with their GP.
鈥淲hooping cough is easily spread to new babies, so it鈥檚 important to keep people with coughs away from them, in case they have whooping cough or other nasty infections,鈥� Dr Sheppeard said.
黑料吃瓜网 Health will provide fact sheets about the changes to GP鈥檚, Local Health Districts and Obstetricians.
For further information please visit Immunisation.