Whooping cough can be very serious
Whooping cough : Mum gets immunised
With three children and one on the way , getting the free whooping cough booster vaccination was a no-brainer for former Opotiki mum Jamie-Lee MacInnes .
“ I ’ ve got two pre-schoolers to run around after , life ’ s busy . The last thing I need is having a sick baby with whooping cough , when I can easily reduce the risk and protect my baby by being immunised .”
The number of people with whooping cough increased across the Bay of Plenty last year up 61 from 2015 . Ten were babies ( who are most at risk of complication ) and 11 were young children aged from one to four years old . And already this year small children have been admitted to hospital with the disease .
“ In the first seven weeks of 2017 we ’ ve been notified of seven cases of whooping cough in the Bay of Plenty , two of these are babies . We ’ re not off to a good start ,” says Toi Te Ora – Public Health Service Medical Officer of Health , Dr Phil Shoemack .
Whooping cough is a highly infectious and distressing illness caused by bacteria that are spread by coughing and sneezing in the same way as colds and influenza . Symptoms start with a runny nose , fever and dry cough . Coughing gets worse over the next few weeks developing into attacks of coughing and sometimes vomiting . The ‘ whoop ’ sound occurs as a baby draws a breath after a long coughing attack . Babies under one year are most at risk of serious complications from the illness such as pneumonia and brain damage .
“ All my kids have been immunised , my daughter Aneeqah had her shots last week , now it ’ s my turn ,” says Jamie Lee .
Pregnant women can get a whooping cough booster vaccination for free , between 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy . This is the time when she can pass her immunity on to the baby , helping protect them until they
EBLIFE | FRIDAY , February 24 , 2017
Jamie-Lee receiving the whooping cough Boostrix vaccine from outreach Vaccinator Doug Gorinski .
are old enough to be vaccinated against whooping cough themselves as part of their free childhood immunisation at 6 weeks , 3 months and 5 months old .
“ With children now back at school and preschool , it ’ s a good time to check your family is up to date with all immunisations . If a scheduled immunisation has been missed , or you are unsure whether a family member is immunised , contact your family doctor or practice nurse . It ’ s never too late to catch up ,” says Dr Shoemack .
Immunising against whooping cough during pregnancy protects about 90 % of babies in their first few weeks of life .
Adults who are in contact with babies under 12 months of age should also consider getting the whooping cough booster vaccination for babies protection .
Increase in mumps cases – are you and your family protected ?
Dr Neil de Wet , Medical Officer of Health recommends people check that they are protected against the mumps by ensuring they have received their MMR vaccinations .
“ There have been a number of mumps cases in New Zealand in recent months , so it ’ s a good time to check that you and your family are up to date with immunisations ,” says Dr Neil de Wet , Medical Officer of Health .
Mumps is a viral infection of the saliva glands . Mumps is spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing and symptoms appear 2 to 3 weeks after coming into contact with someone with mumps . Symptoms include fever , headache and swelling over the cheek or jaw area on one or both sides of the face . “ It is usually a mild illness but can rarely have serious complications ,” says Dr de Wet .
The vaccine that protects against mumps is the MMR ( measles , mumps and rubella ) vaccine . The MMR is given at 15 months and 4 years of age as part of the routine childhood immunisations . Anyone who has not had their MMR immunisations or who has not previously had mumps is at risk of getting mumps .
Not sure if you or your family has had their MMR vaccinations , please contact your family doctor to check . “ The MMR vaccine is recommended and free for anyone born after 1 January 1969 who has not yet had it ,” says Dr de Wet .
For more information about mumps , please visit the Ministry of Health website - www . health . govt . nz and search for mumps .
HPV immunisation now Free for males and females
The Human Papillomavirus ( HPV ) vaccine is now available free for everyone , male and female , aged 9 to 26 years .
HPV immunisation helps protect against a virus that causes several cancers that can affect both men and women . HPV is very common in the community as it is spread through intimate skin to skin contact . Most people therefore become infected at some time during their life . “ Most HPV infections get better on their own and don ’ t cause any obvious problems . However , sometimes the virus persists and can cause cell changes that can lead to cancer later in life ,” says Dr Jim Miller , Medical Officer of Health .
“ I particularly urge young people aged 16 to 26 years who may have missed their chance previously through the school-based programme , to make an appointment with your doctor to get immunised . Now that this vaccine is free this is an excellent opportunity to reduce your cancer risk for the future ,” says Dr Miller .
HPV causes most cervical cancers , as well as contributing to the risk of other genital cancers and throat and mouth cancers . Some types of HPV cause genital warts .
Dr Jim Miller , Medical Officer of Health urges young people aged 16 to 26 years to make an appointment with their doctor for their free HPV immunisations to help reduce their cancer risk later in life .
Children who are in year 8 at school are offered the vaccine either through the school-based immunisation programme or their family doctor . For everyone else , the HPV immunisation is available from their family doctor and local health centres .
For more information about HPV immunisation , visit www . health . govt . nz / hpv
Whooping cough can be very serious
for babies and children – especially those under 1 year old . If babies catch whooping cough , they :
• may not be able to feed or breathe properly .
• may become so ill they need to go to hospital .
• could end up with serious complications such as pneumonia and brain damage .
If you have questions , talk to your midwife , doctor or practice nurse or call the free helpline 0800 IMMUNE ( 0800 466 863 ).
Back to school
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