Can whooping cough occur despite vaccination?
As with every vaccination, there are also so-called “vaccination failures” with the whooping cough vaccination. This is because some people do not produce antibodies against the vaccine. In such cases, such a vaccination failure should always be considered in the case of a prolonged illness for which no explanation can be found, but which shows parts of the pertussis symptoms. The patient should then be treated for whooping cough and the success of the therapy should be awaited. If the therapy is successful, an infection with the pertussis pathogen bordatella pertussis can be concluded.
Vaccination against pertussis in adults
The vaccination against whooping cough in adults should be refreshed once in adulthood when vaccinating against diphtheria and tetanus. Care should be taken to ensure that the last vaccination in childhood was at least 10 years ago. Unlike the vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria, the booster vaccination against whooping cough is given only once in adult life. The booster vaccination in adulthood ensures both the immunity against whooping cough of the vaccinated person and prevents the transmission of the disease to other persons.
Vaccination against pertussis before or during pregnancy
The vaccination against whooping cough (the pathogen is the bacterium Bordatella Pertussis) during pregnancy can be given both before and during pregnancy. As the vaccine is a dead vaccine, it does not pose any danger to the foetus or embryo. However, in the case of a planned pregnancy, the vaccination status of the woman concerned should be checked by the family doctor before conception and updated if necessary.
Vaccination against pertussis is especially important for women who work a lot with or are surrounded by children. These include, for example, kindergarten teachers, pediatric nurses or childminders. If the vaccination is not carried out, an infection with the pertussis gerger (Bordatella pertussis) can occur.
In adults, the infection is usually milder than in children and poses no great threat. The danger is that the infected adult unknowingly transmits the pathogen to children who are not yet of vaccinatable age (under 2 months) or who do not yet have full vaccination protection. In children, the disease is much more threatening than in adults and can be life-threatening for children, especially for infants.
