The Hodgman Liberal Government will facilitate and fund a free whooping cough vaccination for all pregnant women in Tasmania from 1 June 2015.
The free vaccine will be available for all women in their third trimester in a move that will protect babies in the first weeks after they are born, before they can be given their own vaccine.
The Tasmanian Government will fund the free vaccine for pregnant women for the first time following an update to the 10th Edition of the Australian Immunisation Handbook in late March that recommended whooping cough vaccination in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Women can obtain the vaccine from their General Practitioner and from Councils that provide adult vaccinations. Hospital antenatal services may also choose to provide it.
Contemporary evidence shows that the ideal time for vaccination is between weeks 28 and 32 of pregnancy.
Getting the vaccination during the last trimester of pregnancy gives babies protective immunity from birth up until their own vaccinations start to work.
It is important for mothers to have the vaccine in every pregnancy, even if pregnancies are closely spaced, to ensure maximum protection to every infant.
Whooping cough can be deadly, especially for newborns, and this program provides them with the protection they need during the first weeks of life.
Since the introduction of whooping cough vaccines, serious cases have become much less common.
Despite this, whooping cough still comes and goes in cycles that peak roughly every four to five years.
The last time Tasmania saw a large peak was in 2012, with 1,276 cases, so cases are predicted to possibly increase again in the next couple of years.
I strongly encourage every Tasmanian mother to take advantage of the free vaccine to protect their newborn baby and for all parents to consult their health care professional to ensure that their children’s vaccinations are up to date.
Michael Ferguson, Minister for Health
