Attention all expectant mothers!
Australian women who are pregnant are now being urged to receive their whooping cough vaccination at 20 weeks instead of 28 weeks, according to the new national guidelines for public health.
WATCH! The best advice for new parents!
Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease and can be fatal for young children, with 7News reporting that the illness kills a shocking 250,000 children each year.
Today, the National Department of Health has rolled out their stricter new guidelines surrounding whooping cough, with pregnant women now being advised to not wait, and receive the vaccination at 20 weeks.
According to Dr Nicola Spurrier – South Australia’s Health’s Acting Chief Medical Officer – the reason for the change in guidelines is due to research showing that the vaccination during pregnancy can reduce the risk the illness in babies by 90%.
Symptoms of whooping cough include; raised temperatures, runny nose, sneezing, uncontrollable coughing that has a ‘whoop’ sound, vomiting.
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