Free whooping cough vaccinations for pregnant Waikato mums in pharmacies

Pregnant Waikato mums now have access to free whooping cough (pertussis) vaccinations in selected community pharmacies in an effort to stop newborn babies contracting the potentially fatal illness.

Green Cross Health, the group behind Unichem and Life Pharmacies, has partnered with the Midlands Community Pharmacy Group to offer the vaccinations free to women who are 28-38 weeks pregnant in selected pharmacies throughout the Waikato region.

“This is a New Zealand first and provides another convenient option for pregnant mums to keep themselves and their little ones safe by vaccinating against what can be a highly infectious and severe illness. We encourage expectant mothers to get protected with a vaccination either at one of our participating pharmacies, or at their local GP or health centre,” says Green Cross Health Professional Services Manager, Alison Van Wyk.

The announcement comes on the back of recent information showing whooping cough is on the rise amongst adults in the Waikato region. Currently only 20 percent of pregnant women are getting the vaccine in the latter stages of pregnancy, exposing new born infants to significant risk should they come into contact with the disease.

Whooping cough has a high mortality rate among babies, with seven out of eight deaths from the disease occurring in infants under three months old.

Ms Van Wyk says the new initiative is aimed at helping families create a circle of protection around their newborn child as many babies come into contact with the disease from close family members such as siblings, parents and grandparents.

“It’s important that family members are aware of the risks and do what they can to keep their babies protected. We urge all those who will be in close contact with a new born to get vaccinated and to take responsibility for protecting our most vulnerable,” she says.

While the vaccine is not funded for family members, it can be accessed conveniently and affordably through selected pharmacies. 

“We applaud the decision by the Waikato DHB to fund availability of the vaccine for women who are 28-38 weeks pregnant through community pharmacies who have trained vaccinators. This is all about convenience and access, as many pharmacies are open extended hours and weekends and no appointment is needed,” Ms Van Wyk says.

According to the latest Ministry of Health data there are on average 70 new cases of whooping cough per month in New Zealand. Statistics show Maori and Pacific infants have the highest mortality and morbidity rates.

At first, whooping cough symptoms can seem just like a normal cold, but this is also when the disease is at its most infectious making it easy to unwittingly spread the disease.

It can remain infectious 3-4 weeks after the cough starts and can cause prolonged illness and damage long after the disease is gone.

All whooping cough vaccinations given by pharmacies to pregnant women will be entered into the national immunisations register. Ms Van Wyk says the success of the programme in the Waikato will be monitored closely and if uptake is positive, it may be appropriate for a more widespread roll-out to be considered.