Whooping cough (Pertussis) vaccine

Whooping cough vaccination can help to protect your child from the more serious and long-lasting side effects of this common childhood illness

Type of vaccine

Combination inactivated vaccine

Protects against

Whooping cough

Primary course

3 doses

Boosters

1

Suitable for ages

From 6 weeks

What is the whooping cough vaccine?

Whooping cough (also known as “Pertussis”) is a highly contagious bacterial infection that can cause a long-lasting and persistent cough and often results in a deep intake of breath between coughing that causes the distinct ‘whoop’ sound.

This illness can affect people of all ages but is most serious in infants under 12 months.

Protection is offered through a combination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. The smallest combination vaccine available containing whooping cough is the 3-in-1 DTaP. There are also 4-in-1 and 5-in-1 vaccine combinations available.

Other vaccines include protection against pertussis but these are most often used as a booster injection rather than for the primary course of vaccination.

How does the whooping cough vaccine work?

The bacteria that cause whooping cough make several harmful proteins known as toxins. Having an immune response (the ability to recognise and fight these toxins) helps to protect children from the illness.

The whooping cough component of the DTaP vaccine is “acellular” (this is what the lowercase “a” stands for) and means that it contains cellular material but not whole cells.

Essentially, the vaccine contains cellular material from two to five of the pertussis toxins that have been inactivated to turn them from toxins into “toxoids”. As toxoids, they elicit an immune response without being able to cause whooping cough.

Who should have the whooping cough vaccine?

The NHS recommends that all babies and all pregnant women are vaccinated against whooping cough. The illness can be life-threatening in young babies and still very unpleasant in older infants.

Whooping cough vaccine FAQs

An acellular vaccine contains cellular material from a virus (in this case, pertussis “whooping cough” virus) but not complete cells, specifically antigenic or allergenic parts of cells.

Acellular vaccines for pertussis are 71-85% effective, whereas whole-cell vaccines are 78% effective. The effectiveness of the acellular vaccines does appear to wear off quicker than that of the whole-cell vaccines (between two to 10% per year) but the acellular vaccine is widely used because it causes fewer side effects.

In general, the DTaP vaccine is 80% to 90% effective.

Infants under six months of age are particularly at risk of developing severe complications from whooping cough. These may include pneumonia, breathing difficulties, dehydration or weight loss due to feeding difficulties, seizures and/or brain damage.

Younger infants are more likely to need hospital treatment due to whooping cough and the illness can be life-threatening, especially in this age group.

All vaccines can cause side effects and this includes the various combination vaccines that include protection for whooping cough. For the majority of people, any reactions are mild and go away on their own within a couple of days.

These mild reactions can include (depending on the vaccine given):

  • Redness, swelling, soreness or tenderness at the injection site
  • Fever
  • Fussiness/irritability
  • Loss of appetite
  • Feeling tired
  • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or stomach ache
  • Chills
  • Body aches or sore joints
  • Rash or swollen glands

More serious reactions, such as seizures, non-stop crying for three hours or more, or a high fever over 40.5°C after a DTaP vaccination happen much less often. Rarely, vaccination is followed by swelling of the entire arm or leg, especially in older children when they receive their fourth or fifth dose.

Severe allergic reactions to this vaccine are extremely rare, associated with an estimated one in a million doses.

Your child may not be able to have the vaccine if they have a life-threatening allergy or have had an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients. We’ll ask you about this during your consultation.

The vaccine may not be advised if your child suffers from seizures or has had a condition called Guillian-Barré Syndrome.

If your child has a mild illness, such as a cold, they can probably have the vaccine. If they are feeling very poorly, we may recommend that the vaccine is postponed until they are fully recovered.

Again, we’ll discuss all of this with you during your consultation. Please do ask if you have any questions.

With infants and younger children, the vaccination is usually given in the upper thigh of either leg. The preferred injection site for teens and adults is in the upper arm.

Among children who get all four doses of DTaP (a primary course of three doses and one booster dose), nine out of 10 are fully protected during the first year. There is a slight decrease in effectiveness in each following year. About seven out of 10 children still have full protection against whooping cough five years after their last dose of DTaP and the other three out of 10 children still have partial protection, especially against the more serious side effects of the illness.

Ideally, children should receive their first three whooping cough shots during their first year of life. A pre-school booster dose is usually given at around age four.

A whooping cough-containing vaccine may also be offered during pregnancy to protect a newborn baby.

Yes. Booster shots of the whooping cough vaccine are recommended to help maintain protection against the serious side effects of the illness.

Yes, although older children (over age seven), teens and adults may need a Tdap vaccine that contains a lower dose of inactivated diphtheria and pertussis toxoids.

Boostrix, Boostrix-IPV and Repevax are whooping cough-containing vaccines that are suitable for use during pregnancy.

Yes.

Yes. The whooping cough vaccine is given as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.

The whooping cough vaccine is routinely given as part of:

Whooping cough vaccine ingredients

On the tabs below, you will find ingredient information and links to the Patient Information Leaflets for the UK standard vaccines that protect against whooping cough. Other suitable vaccines may be available for your child based on the clinical need, but this must be discussed during a consultation to ensure you are given the appropriate advice and prescription for your child’s needs.

Name: Infanrix-IPV+Hib (5-in-1 DTaP, IPV & Hib vaccine)

Age: Suitable from age six weeks to three years

Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline

Protects against: Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, IPV & Hib

Active ingredients: Not less than 30IU diphtheria toxoid, not less than 40IU tetanus toxoid, 25μg pertussis toxoid, 25μg filamentous haemagglutinin, 8μg pertactin, 40 D antigen units poliovirus type 1, 8 D antigen units poliovirus type 2, 32 D antigen units poliovirus type 3, 10μg HIB capsular polysaccharide

Other ingredients: 25μg tetanus toxoid (as conjugate), lactose, sodium chloride, Medium 199 (containing amino acids (including phenylalanine*), mineral salts (including sodium and potassium), vitamins (including para-aminobenzoic acid) and other substances), water for injections

The vaccine may contain traces of formaldehyde, neomycin and polymyxin which are used during the manufacturing process

It contains para-aminobenzoic acid <0.07 nanograms per dose and phenylalanine 0.036 micrograms per dose

* Phenylalanine may be harmful if you have phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder in which phenylalanine builds up because the body cannot remove it  properly.

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: 0.5mg**

** Some manufacturers’ leaflets reference the amount of the aluminium compound (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), whereas we have calculated the amount of elemental aluminium within the compound

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: Yes

Licensed for use in the UK

Infanrix-IPV+Hib Patient Information Leaflet: Click to view

Name: Vaxelis (6-in-1 DTaP, Hep B, IPV & Hib vaccine)

Age: Suitable from age six weeks up to 15 months (however, NHS England recommends it for up to 10 years of age for those with incomplete vaccination status)

Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur

Protects against: Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio & Hib

Active ingredients: Each 0.5 mL dose contains not less than 20IU diphtheria toxoid, not less than 40 IU tetanus toxoid, Bordetella pertussis antigens [20 mcg pertussis toxiod (PT), 20 mcg filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), 3 mcg pertactin (PRN), and 5 mcg fimbriae types 2 and 3 (FIM)], 10mcg Hepatitis B surface antigen, Poliovirus (Inactivated) [Type 1 (Mahoney) 40 D antigen units, Type 2 (MEF-1) 8 D antigen units, Type 3 (Saukett) 32 D antigen units], Haemophilus influenzae type B polysaccharide [3 mcg Polyribosylribitol phosphate, 50mcg conjugated to meningococcal protein]

Other ingredients: Sodium phosphate, water for injections

* Aluminium phosphate and amorphus aluminium hydroxyphosphate sulphate are included in the vaccine as adjuvants. The vaccine may also contain traces of glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, neomycin, streptomycin, polymyxin B, and bovine serum albumin

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: 0.32mg*

* Some manufacturers’ leaflets reference the amount of the aluminium compound (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), whereas we have calculated the amount of elemental aluminium within the compound

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: No

Licensed for use in the UK

Vaxelis Patient Information Leaflet: Click to view

Name: Boostrix-IPV (4-in-1 dTap-IPV) (low doses of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and polio vaccine)

Age: From age three and upwards

Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline

Protects against: Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough & polio

Active ingredients: 2IU* diphtheria toxoid, 20IU tetanus toxoid, 8µg pertussis toxoid, 8µg filamentous haemagglutinin, 2.5µg pertactin; Inactivated poliovirus – type 1 (Mahoney strain), 40 D-antigen unit type 2 (MEF-1 strain), 8 D-antigen unit type 3 (Saukett strain), 32 D-antigen unit

*International units

Other ingredients: Medium 199 (containing amino acids (including phenylalanine**), mineral salts (including sodium and potassium), vitamins (including para-aminobenzoic acid) and other substances), sodium chloride and water for injections

** Boostrix-IPV contains phenylalanine which may be harmful to people with phenylketonuria (PKU)

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: 0.5mg***

*** Some manufacturers’ leaflets reference the amount of the aluminium compound (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), whereas we have calculated the amount of elemental aluminium within the compound

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: No

Licensed for use in the UK

Boostrix-IPV Patient Information Leaflet: Click to view

Name: Repevax (4-in-1 Tdap vaccine with IPV)

Age: Suitable from age three

Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur

Protects against: Tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough & polio

Active ingredients: Diphtheria Toxoid (not less than 2 International Units (2 Lf)); Tetanus Toxoid (not less than 20 International Units (5 Lf)); Pertussis Antigens: Pertussis Toxoid 2.5 micrograms, Filamentous Haemagglutinin 5 micrograms, Pertactin 3 micrograms, Fimbriae Types 2 and 3 5 micrograms; Inactivated Poliomyelitis Virus (produced in Vero cells): Type 1 (Mahoney) 40 D antigen units, Type 2 (MEF1) 8 D antigen units, Type 3 (Saukett) 32 D antigen units

Other ingredients: Phenoxyethanol, ethanol, polysorbate 80, water for injections

REPEVAX may contain traces of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, streptomycin, neomycin, polymyxin B and bovine serum albumin

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: 0.33 mg*

* Some manufacturers’ leaflets reference the amount of the aluminium compound (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), whereas we have calculated the amount of elemental aluminium within the compound

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: No

Licensed for use in the UK

Repevax Patient Information Leaflet: Click to view

Aftercare

We’ll give you detailed aftercare advice for your child after their vaccination(s), including what to do in the event of any side effects.

Your child may experience some redness, tenderness and/or swelling at the injection site, so it’s helpful to expect this. These side effects should self-resolve within a few days.

You can download our Patient Aftercare leaflet here.

If your child is unwell outside of clinic hours, please call 111 for advice or go to A&E if they need urgent medical attention.

Individual advice about the whooping cough vaccination

Need advice about whether your child should be vaccinated against whooping cough? The BabyJabs team is here to listen and answer your questions to help you decide.