Concerns mums-to-be not getting whooping cough jab

New mother Katie Gresswell urged mums-to-be to get vaccinated against the infection that can be fatal to young babies

Only a fifth of pregnant women who give birth at a hospital are being vaccinated against whooping cough, health bosses have said.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was concerned by the rise in cases which has led to the deaths of nine babies in England since December.

The trust said only about 1,000 women out of 5,000 mums-to-be, who give birth at Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital each year, were being vaccinated against the bacterial infection.

New mother Kate Gresswell urged women to "ignore false information" being spread on social media about the vaccine.

'Something nasty'

Trust public health midwife Ellie Young said many women were anxious about having the jab.

"Not many of them give us a real reason why they don't want the vaccine," she said.

"We tend to hear: 'I just don't want it, you are not sticking anything in me.'

"Some think we are injecting them with something nasty. We are not.

"It is going to protect them and their baby from getting whooping cough and potentially dying."

Midwife Ellie Young said many women did not really give a reason why they did not want the jab

Ms Gresswell, who got the jab when she was pregnant, said some of her own friends told her they had been put off from getting the jab.

"I’ve had conversations with friends who are new mothers or pregnant, and they say 'oh I don’t want to get it because I’ve seen this information on social media.

"That's really scary because this information is out there and it's appearing on people's algorithms – particularly when they are most vulnerable."

What is whooping cough?

The first signs are similar to a cold, with a runny nose and sore throat.

After about a week, the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last a few minutes and are typically worse at night.

Young babies may make a distinctive "whoop" or have difficulty breathing after a bout of coughing.

Nine babies have died from whooping cough in England since November 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

Its latest figures for England show 2,591 confirmed cases in May, with a total of 7,599 since January.

New babies cannot be immunised until they are at least eight weeks old.

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