Nov. 15, 2021
As people plan holiday get-togethers again given eased COVID-19 restrictions, physicians urge everyone to take precautions to protect the newest family members - infants - from a different disease: pertussis. Texas Medical Association (TMA) physicians urge people meeting a newborn family member this holiday season to first get vaccinated against pertussis, or whooping cough.
Whooping cough is especially dangerous for infants younger than 1 year of age. The Texas Department of State Health Services says more than half of babies under 1 year of age who get pertussis must be hospitalized. Many will have serious complications, like pneumonia, which can be life-threatening. In babies and young children, violent coughing from pertussis also can cause convulsions or brain damage.
Physicians say people near newborns should be vaccinated to defend infants from pertussis because they are too young for the shots themselves.
“In most cases, infants catch pertussis from a family member or caregiver whose symptoms were so mild they didn’t know they had the illness,” said C. Mary Healy, MD, of Houston, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and member of TMA’s Council on Science and Public Health.
“Vaccinating all of the newborn’s family members prior to the baby’s arrival provides the best protection,” added Dr. Healy.
The Tdap vaccination (a combination vaccination that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) is recommended for adolescents and adults – including parents, siblings, and grandparents – who will have contact with the infant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Doctors nickname this “cocooning,” because doing so wraps the baby in a “cocoon” of vaccinated people to help defend the little ones against whooping cough until they can protect themselves. Babies require a series of pertussis vaccinations, so they are not fully protected until they’re close to 18 months of age.
For best protection, CDC recommends the vaccine be administered to family members at least two weeks before they have contact with the baby. That means family members still have time before holiday gatherings to get the shot to protect the baby.
A pertussis vacation is recommended for pregnant women during their third trimester, and physicians urge the father and other household family members to get the shot then too.
“Vaccinating family members and others who will come into contact with the baby is the best way to ensure they will not get pertussis and unknowingly pass it on to the infant,” said Dr. Healy.
Tdap is recommended as part of routine vaccinations for all preteens and adults to defend them against all three illnesses, not just pertussis. Adults need an additional dose of Tdap or Td vaccine at least once every 10 years to stay protected. Those who plan to be around a newborn should ask their doctor if they’re up to date on their Tdap or if they need an additional dose to protect the baby.
Flu
In addition, doctors also recommend flu vaccinations, as flu season has arrived. Babies can’t be vaccinated for flu until they are at least 6 months old. That means those around them must protect them from the flu. Flu can become serious for anyone, but the youngest and the oldest are most at risk. Physicians are concerned about the spread of flu this year because, unlike last year, fewer people are wearing masks. Without masks, people are more susceptible to flu exposure.
TMA’s Vaccines Defend What Matters initiative provides education about vaccines and how they defend people and our way of life from the effects of diseases. The program’s goals are to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates in Texas.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 55,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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Contact: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381