Whooping Cough

Book your whooping cough vaccination online

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Whooping Cough Vaccine Price
Single Whooping Cough Vaccination £69
Course of Treatment: 1 dose £69
Price per course including nurse fee £94

Fleet Street Clinic is not a VAT registered company

Whooping Cough Vaccination

Whooping cough is a highly contagious, bacterial disease usually found in children. It starts with cold-like symptoms and then progresses into a cough that can last for 10 weeks or more. While this is very unpleasant, side effects are much more severe in babies under 1 years and can cause serious health complications. It is therefore recommended that pregnant women and those who may come into contact with young babies should be vaccinated.

Whooping cough is generally known as a childhood illness, but it is actually more common in adults. Whooping cough can be treated with a course of antibiotics to make the infection less serious, but prevention in the form of vaccination is always recommended.

The vaccine used to immunise against whooping cough is Repevax, which is a combined vaccine that also protects against diphtheria, tetanus, polio.

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Who should be vaccinated against Whooping Cough?

Infants normally receive whooping cough vaccine as part of the NHS Immunisation program.

Sometimes this gets missed for any number of reasons, any unvaccinated child or adults can get vaccinated at a later date.

Whooping cough vaccine should also be given to:

  • Pregnant mothers – to help protect babies during their first few months, before they can be vaccinated themselves
  • People who have not had a whooping cough containing vaccine for ten years or more and have been in close contact with somebody with whooping cough
  • People travelling from the UK to Australia and the USA to live or work, or to visit households with newborn babies, may need to be vaccinated

How many doses of the Whooping Cough vaccine is required?

Initially 1 dose of the vaccine is required.

Booster doses of the vaccine are recommended every 10 years and pregnant mothers are also advised to have a dose of the vaccine in order to protect their newborn baby from severe infection during their first months.

How does the Whooping Cough vaccine work?

The vaccine used to protect against whooping cough is ‘Repevax’.

Repevax is a killed vaccine which causes the body to produce antibodies that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough.

We have good stock available.

What is Whooping Cough?

Whooping cough is a respiratory tract infection with Bordetella pertussis.

It is a very contagious disease only found in humans. Whooping cough causes a distinct, violent cough which is dry, persistent and uncontrollable. It can make it difficult to breathe normally which can lead to serious health complications especially in infants and young children. It can be very painful and children often make a “whoop” sound when taking breath between coughing; hence the name.

How is Whooping Cough spread?

Whooping cough spreads incredibly easily from person-to-person via droplets.

This can be via coughing, sneezing, talking, or when spending a lot of time near one another where you share a breathing space. Due to the uncontrollable cough developed through the infection, it can spread very fast amongst those unvaccinated.

What are the symptoms of Whooping Cough?

It produces cold-like symptoms leading to bouts of severe coughing with whooping and/or vomiting in between breaths.

The cough can persist for two to three months. It is most dangerous in children under 1 year of age who are also at risk of serious complications. Such complications include increased risk of dehydration, breathing problems, pneumonia and seizures. Whooping cough is less severe in older children and adults. Parents of newborns may ask unvaccinated family and friends to consider vaccination prior to seeing their child.

Book your whooping cough vaccination online

Book Appointment

Whooping Cough Vaccine Price
Single Whooping Cough Vaccination £69
Course of Treatment: 1 dose £69
Price per course including nurse fee £94

Fleet Street Clinic is not a VAT registered company

FAQs

The most common side effect is soreness around the injection and the feeling of tiredness and fatigue. These symptoms are very short-lived and usually only present for 24-48 hours. If your mild symptoms persist or get worse you can speak with your doctor if they have any concerning you. Those experiencing adverse reactions should seek medical help as a matter of urgency.

Yes, infants are routinely offered the vaccine as part of their childhood vaccination programme and women are offered the vaccine during pregnancy. However, if you missed your vaccine during childhood and didn’t complete the full course, you would be considered unvaccinated and may need to start the course again if considerable time has passed by.

Most vaccines take a few weeks to become effective because this is how long the body takes to produce a sufficient amount of antibodies in order to fight infection. You can assume after 14-21 days you are protected.

Your child’s vaccination history is recorded in a red book and so that we can keep their vaccination records accurate and up to date, we would recommend that you bring it with you to your appointment. Although, rest assured, if you forget it, we can still see you and vaccinate your child without it.

Yes, it is advised that women receive the DTaP-IPV vaccination between 16-32 weeks of pregnancy.

The dtap-IPV vaccination provides protection for 10 years, after which a booster would be required to maintain protection.

dtap-IPV is an inactivated vaccination. Common side effects can include localised swelling and redness at the injection site, a mild temperature, and/ or a headache. More serious side effects are extremely rare.

The whooping cough vaccine is the best available protection against the disease. It helps protect both the person who gets the vaccine and those around them who are most vulnerable to severe whooping cough or complications (like babies and pregnant women). Vaccination is a personal choice but worth noting it is highly effective at preventing whooping cough.

It takes up to 2 weeks for maximum protection to be achieved after having a whooping cough vaccination. 

Whooping cough is generally advised for pregnant women, rather than those who are in close contact with newborns. However, in some countries, where whooping cough is highly prevalent, it is suggested that any close contacts or caregivers to unimmunised infants should consider the vaccination.

dtap-IPV is an inactivated vaccination. Common side effects can include localised swelling and redness at the injection site, a mild temperature, and/ or a headache. More serious side effects are extremely rare.

dtap-IPV is given as a primary vaccination schedule in infancy, and again as part of the pre-school booster vaccination schedule. Boosters in the general population are not routinely recommended. Pregnant women are offered the vaccination between 16-32 weeks of pregnancy to protect the baby.

Whooping cough is a highly serious illness that can lead to pneumonia and brain damage in infants.

Whooping cough symptoms start out like the common cold. After 1-2 weeks a dry, irritating cough causes severe coughing spells. It is named so due to the ‘whoop’ noise made by infants when they draw breath in between bouts of coughing.

Most infants with whooping cough require hospital treatment and it can prove fatal. For adults, the symptoms are less severe but in both it is highly contagious.

Although whooping cough, and severe disease is associated with infants, adults can still get whooping cough, become unwell with it, and pass it on to those who are susceptible.

We are conscientious that some of our patients or their close family members are deemed clinically vulnerable. Therefore, all our staff are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for your protection and peace of mind.