KEY POINTS
- The whooping cough vaccine is the first shot that the FDA has expressly approved for use during pregnancy to protect unborn children.
- GlaxoSmithKline is the company that makes the Boostrix vaccination.
- Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can have major health consequences for infants.
- Infants under two months of age cannot be protected by the standard childhood immunization schedule.
The FDA has approved a vaccine to protect newborns against whooping cough by injecting the mother during pregnancy.
In order to prevent whooping cough in newborn infants, the Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the use of a vaccination during the third trimester of pregnancy.
GlaxoSmithKline is the company that makes the Boostrix vaccination. According to Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine expert, it is the first vaccination the government has authorized to protect newborn infants from a disease by giving their moms the shot while they are pregnant.
According to data examined by the FDA, the vaccine, which is given as a single dose, was 78% effective in preventing whooping cough in newborns when given to mothers during the third trimester. There were no adverse consequences on the pregnancy, fetus, or infant. Pain at the injection site, headaches, and weariness are the most frequent adverse reactions for those who receive the vaccine.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can have major health consequences for infants. Infants under two months of age cannot be protected against the disease with the standard childhood immunization regimen.
By receiving the vaccination while they are expecting, women can safeguard their infants. Although whooping cough can affect people of all ages, the FDA reports that infants under two months of age account for the majority of hospitalization and fatal cases.
Boostrix has already been given FDA approval for use during pregnancy to safeguard the mother against illness, but not particularly to stop whooping cough in babies. The whooping cough vaccination was initially authorized in 2005 to protect those between the ages of 10 and 18 from the disease, and later for those who are 19 years of age and older.
