Free whooping cough vaccine for parents extended

10 June 2011

The Department of Health has extended its offer of a free whooping cough vaccine to parents of newborn babies for a further 12 months to 30 June 2012.

The free vaccine offer has been extended in response to the significant increase in cases of whooping cough (also known as Pertussis) in Victoria. There have been more than 4,000 cases of pertussis in Victoria to the end of May – more than double the cases in the same period last year.

Video transcript

Dr Rosemary Lester, Acting Chief Health Officer

This is a very serious disease and something that we do take very seriously. Victoria, like virtually every other state in Australia has had a two year increased incidence of whooping cough, otherwise known as Pertussis. This has obviously been very concerning to us.

This year we have had just over 100 cases under the age of 12 months, with 78 of those aged under 6 months and of those 78, just over 40 per cent have required hospitalisation and sadly, of course we have had one death this year.

David Davis MLC, Minister for Health

This is a very important program, it’s about providing that extra level of protection to our most vulnerable young babies and ensuring that parents are immunised, in effect topping up their immunisation, to provide that cocoon effect around the baby. It’s a very dangerous disease and as the Acting Chief Health Officer has pointed out, it is a disease that has been increasing in prevalence in the recent period.

So I am very please to announce today the extension of the program to ensure parents are vaccinated. Provision will be made for enough vaccine availability to ensure that each parent, both parents that is, of all newborns in Victoria can access the vaccine.

The Department of Health is offering the vaccine to parents of newborns - a strategy recommended by immunisation experts as the best way to offer protection to very young babies.

The department will buy an additional 150,000 doses of vaccine specifically for Victorian parents of newborns this year. The vaccine can be given to the mother soon after the birth of the baby. Her partner can receive the vaccine at anytime during the pregnancy.

The vaccinations will continue to be made available through maternity hospitals and general practitioners. Local government and maternal and child health nurses have also been informed of the extension so that they can bring it to the attention of new parents.

Victoria's Acting Chief Health Officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, said all immunisation providers were encouraged to remind parents of the importance of timely vaccination for their children.

"Increased notifications of whooping cough have been reported across the country," Dr Lester said.

"Whooping cough is often a distressing illness causing bouts of coughing lasting a few months. In some cases it can cause serious illness, and is particularly dangerous in children under one year of age.

"It is a highly contagious disease spread by droplets from coughing and sneezing. Initial symptoms can be similar to the common cold, but these progress to a severe cough. In children a whooping sound may be made at the end of a bout of coughing,” Dr Lester said

Further information

Further information regarding whooping cough and the free vaccine is available online or by contacting the Department of Health Immunisation Section on 1300 882 008.