Pregnant women’s whooping cough vaccination rates show strong recovery in London - as uptake rates improve, more newborns in London are protected from whooping cough
New figures published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show a significant and sustained increase in the number of pregnant women coming forward for the whooping cough vaccine in London.
The latest data reveals a consistent monthly upward trend in London for maternal pertussis vaccination rates, climbing from 40% in May 2024 to over 64% in March this year. Although London continues to have the lowest uptake compared to other regions (which is highest in the South West at 80.5% and 73% for England overall), the capital has seen the steepest upward trend with a 24% increase in uptake1.
UKHSA has been urging expectant mothers to come forward in light of falling vaccination rates and against the backdrop of a large whooping cough outbreak in 2023-24 in which monthly cases peaked at over 3,000 nationally in May 20242.
Young babies are at highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough, with 11 babies tragically dying in England last year2.
Evidence from England shows that vaccination at the right time in pregnancy is highly effective, giving 91% protection against infant death2.
All babies are given 3 doses of the 6-in-1 jab at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age to protect against whooping cough and other serious diseases such as diphtheria and polio, with a pre-school booster offered at 3 years 4 months.
Dr Yimmy Chow, London Regional Deputy Director for UKHSA, said:
“It is really promising that uptake of the whooping cough vaccine is steadily increasing among pregnant women in London, which is a testament to the women coming forward to protect their babies and the NHS staff organising vaccinations on the ground. There was a particularly large outbreak of whooping cough last year and it can be devastating to see such young babies become so seriously unwell.
“The immunity that an expectant mother gets from the whooping cough vaccine will pass through the placenta and provide passive protection to the baby until they are old enough to be routinely vaccinated themselves at 8 weeks of age.
“If you are approaching 20 weeks pregnant (around the time of your mid pregnancy scan), and haven’t been offered the whooping cough vaccine yet, please speak to your GP or midwife today to find out how you can get your vaccine. You need the vaccine in every pregnancy, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks."
Whooping cough, clinically known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection which affects the lungs. The first signs of infection are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat, but after about a week, the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are typically worse at night. Young babies may also make a distinctive ‘whoop’ or have difficulty breathing after a bout of coughing, though not all babies make this noise which means whooping cough can be hard to recognise.
If anyone in your family is diagnosed with whooping cough, it’s important they stay at home and do not go into work, school or nursery until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or 2 weeks after symptoms start if they have not had antibiotics. This helps to prevent the spread of infection, especially to vulnerable groups, including infants. However, vaccination remains the best protection for babies and children growing up in London.