“They start coughing, they get short of breath and can turn blue,” said Karine Moykens of the Department of Care. VTM . “But especially the fact of having difficulty breathing can lead to brain damage. So we have to be careful with that, so that the very vulnerable little ones are protected.”
“We must not forget that it is a bacterial infection, which means that we see an outbreak of that bacterial attack every five to seven years. We live close together, it is a very contagious story.”
“From the moment someone is infected and coughs or sneezes, those droplets go into the air. And someone nearby who picks up the droplets automatically becomes infected themselves.”
Vaccine for pregnant women
A first vaccine against whooping cough is given to babies at the age of eight weeks. However, it is also recommended that an expectant mother be vaccinated against whooping cough during pregnancy.
“You should know that after being vaccinated, a newborn will only actually build up its own immunity based on that vaccine after four to six months,” says Moykens.
“This means that babies are extra vulnerable to this. But thanks to vaccination of the pregnant mother, we can partially provide that immunity from birth.”
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Tags: Dangerous disease rise short breath turn blue risk brain damage
