Whooping cough (pertussis) is an infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily and can be serious. It’s important for babies, children and anyone who’s pregnant to get vaccinated against it.
The Green Book has the latest information on vaccines and vaccination procedures, for vaccine preventable infectious diseases in the UK.
The Chapter on Pertussis can be found on the GOV.UK website (PDF).
Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccinations for pregnant women
The whooping cough vaccine should be offered to you around the time of your mid pregnancy scan (normally at 20 weeks) but you can have the vaccine from 16 weeks.
To give your baby the best protection you should try and get the vaccine before 32 weeks but if you have missed out you can still have the vaccine later. It may be less effective if you have the vaccine close to when your baby is born.
Speak to your maternity service or GP surgery for more information.