Considering a significant rise in whooping cough cases, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is advising pregnant women and parents of young children to receive the pertussis vaccine.
As per BBC, as of this year, there have been 3,060 confirmed cases of whooping cough in Northern Ireland, which is much higher than the number of cases in recent years.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection that spreads easily.
It can particularly make babies and young children sick, and it can be life-threatening for infants and people with existing health conditions.
Initial symptoms of whooping cough are similar to a common cold, including a runny nose and sore throat.
After about a week, the infection can progress to intense coughing fits that last a few minutes and are typically more severe at night.
Rachel Spiers, Immunisation and Vaccination Programme Manager at the PHA, said “the illness tends to circulate in greater numbers in Northern Ireland every three to four years”.
She added, “Whooping cough is a disease that can cause long bouts of coughing and choking, which can make it hard to breathe.”
Spiers continued, “The evidence shows that a pregnant woman who gets the pertussis vaccine reduces the chance her baby getting sick with whooping cough by 90%.”
"Babies and young children are at greatest risk of developing more serious disease, so it is very important to take up the offer of the pertussis vaccine," she further added.
Whooping cough vaccines can be obtained at antenatal clinics run by health trusts and at general practitioner (GP) offices.
