As part of an NHS drive to deal with the shocking spike in whooping cough cases, a Gateshead midwife has urged new parents to get their children vaccinated.
Top midwife Debbie Corbett answered some key questions that parents may have and reassured them about the safety of the vaccines for both whooping cough - known as pertussis - and flu. This comes as figures show there were almost ten times more cases of whooping cough in England in the first five months of 2024 than there were in the whole of 2023.
And while the nine cases where a baby has died of this illness have not been in our region, health bosses are concerned about low take-up of the life saving vaccine here. Data shows just 60% of pregnant mums had had it.
The campaign is also encouraging expecting mums to get their flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccinations, as both viruses can also be lethal in infants.
Data for the four weeks to June 30 showed that there were 4,610 whooping cough alerts related to cases suspected by GPs.. There were 55 in Northumberland - the most in our region. Followed by 32 in North Tyneside, 31 in Sunderland, 30 in Newcastle, 29 in Gateshead, 27 in County Durham, and seven in South Tyneside.
Debbie answered questions about the safety and value of vaccinations. She said: "It's completely safe to be vaccinated during pregnancy with the recommended vaccines. Your immune system is slightly lower when you're pregnant - to protect the pregnancy - so it is really, really important that you get the vaccines."
She said it was wrong to assume a vaccine would make you or your baby unwell. She said: "No, a vaccination that we recommend will not make your baby unwell. The vaccines are not live vaccines so we're not giving you the virus or any infection, so it's completely safe for you and your baby."
Debbie also added that having both vaccinations at the same time was perfectly fine - but that mums shouldn't delay the flu jab in order to have it at the same time as the whooping cough one. This is because the flu vaccine can be given at any time during pregnancy, but the whooping cough jab must be given between 16 and 32 weeks.
She continued: "If you're struggling to decide, whether to have any of the recommended vaccines you need to speak with your midwife or any of your maternity team - or your GP who is there to advise you."
The midwife said that side-effects were usually "minimal". She said: "Because it goes into the muscle in your arm, you might get a bit of a heavy arm, there may be a little bit of redness around the injection site, and you may get a mild fever and feel a little bit tired.
"But because the vaccine is not a live vaccine, it's not expected to meet you poorly don't worry the vaccine is completely safe for you and your baby."
The importance of immunisations doesn't end when the baby is born. Debbie added: "Vaccinations for your baby are really important. Once the baby is born, speak to your Midwife Health, visitor or GP and they'll tell you the full schedule of what's recommended.
"If you're worried about any of the vaccines, it's completely understandable. Pregnancies are really exciting time, but it can also be quite a worrying time. What you need to do is write out all the questions that you've got and speak to your midwife or GP and they'll be able to advise."
If you are pregnant and would like to learn more about which vaccinations are right for you, please search ‘NHS vaccinations in pregnancy’ and speak to your midwife.
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
