"A Vaccine for Two During Pregnancy"

Whooping cough vaccine given during pregnancy increased infant protection

(dailyRx News) Vaccines are designed to protect against disease, but babies cannot get most vaccines until they’re two months old, leaving them vulnerable. A vaccine during pregnancy may help.

A recent study found that giving mothers a vaccine against whooping cough during pregnancy increased their babies’ protection against the disease after birth.

The vaccine is called Tdap, which stands for tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis. Pertussis is another name for whooping cough.

The newborns whose mothers received the Tdap during pregnancy had more antibodies (disease-fighting proteins) against pertussis than the babies of mothers who received the Tdap after giving birth.