Boostrix Vaccination
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly infectious disease that is spread by coughing and sneezing. It’s a serious infection that causes a long coughing illness and can be life threatening.
Whooping cough can be very serious for babies and children – especially those under 1 year old. If babies catch whooping cough, they:
may not be able to feed or breathe properly.
may become so ill they need to go to hospital.
could end up with serious complications such as pneumonia and brain damage.
People with whooping cough are infectious from 6 days after exposure to the bacteria, when symptoms are like a normal cold, to 3 weeks after the ‘whooping’ cough begins – unless they are treated with antibiotics.
Many babies catch whooping cough from their older siblings or parents – often before they’re old enough to be vaccinated.
Booster doses of Boostrix (containing vaccines for whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria) are available free to eligible people, and at a cost of $70 to ineligible people.
Boostrix is free and recommended for pregnant people in their second and third trimester. Vaccination protects a baby until it is old enough to receive its own vaccinations. A new booster dose is recommended every pregnancy. People who will be in close contact with a newborn baby, such as fathers, grandparents and other close whanau are also recommended to get a Boostrix dose every 5 to 10 years (this is not funded).
A booster dose is also scheduled for all people at 65 years old. This dose is free of charge and is mainly intended to top up your tetanus immunity. If you are not sure whether you have received this dose, check with us or your doctor.
A Boostrix booster is recommended (but not funded) every 5 to 10 years for people with chronic lung conditions, those who work in health care, and those who work with young children.
