Whooping cough (pertussis) is a bacterial infection that passes easily from person to person. It is a respiratory illness that can last for weeks or months. While parents and grandparents usually suffer only from a prolonged, irritating cough, whooping cough can quickly become life-threatening for children.

Very young children who are still too young to be vaccinated are often affected. The youngest usually catch it from their parents or older carers, because the protection provided by vaccination wanes over the years.

In addition, lifelong immunity to whooping cough cannot be acquired, so you cannot pass lasting protection on to your child. This is why vaccination should take place as early as possible. The whooping cough vaccine is part of the six-in-one vaccine recommended for children from the age of two months. Adults should also be vaccinated against whooping cough so that they do not become infected.

Vaccination is the only effective protection against whooping cough.

The acellular vaccines used today contain only those components of the pertussis bacteria that are important for building effective immune protection. They are produced biotechnologically and are very well tolerated.

Paediatrics in Switzerland covers the vaccination of children, including against whooping cough.

At present there is no approved single vaccine for older children who have not received primary immunisation and have not had whooping cough in the past. A combination vaccine should be given, which also contains tetanus, diphtheria and polio components.

Whooping Cough Vaccination Schedule

Immunisation against whooping cough is given as a series of five injections at the following ages:

  • 2 months
  • 4 months
  • 6 months
  • 15–18 months
  • 4–6 years

Possible Risks of Whooping Cough Immunisation

The vaccine may cause mild side effects:

  • fever;
  • mild fussiness;
  • tiredness;
  • loss of appetite;
  • soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site.

In rare cases, a child may have seizures, a high temperature or inconsolable crying after vaccination. These side effects are so rare, however, that researchers question whether they are caused by the vaccine at all. Most children have only a few minor side effects or none at all.

Contraindications to Whooping Cough Vaccination

There are few contraindications to vaccination. They include active tuberculosis, HIV infection and hereditary immune disorders. Even with such conditions, however, contraindications are often temporary or apply only to certain types of vaccine.

Can the Vaccine Cause Whooping Cough?

No. The vaccine contains inactivated particles of the pathogen and other selected parts of the bacteria, against which the body’s defences are meant to be activated. It is therefore impossible to contract whooping cough from it.

Vaccination against whooping cough can also protect at the same time against other infectious diseases, such as tetanus, diphtheria, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B. Combination vaccines with very good tolerability are available for this purpose. You can consult the best doctors in Switzerland and choose the right vaccine and vaccination schedule for you and your child.

And remember: any illness is easier to prevent than to treat and to deal with its complications.