How often is the whooping cough vaccine given?

If you are unsure whether you or your child needs to be immunised against whooping cough, visit your Healthcare Professional to find out when you were last immunised.

Vaccination against whooping cough is available through the National Immunisation Program for the following groups of people.

Babies and young children:

• The vaccine is given at 2, 4, 6, 18 months and 4 years of age¹¹

Adolescents

• A booster dose is given through school programs at 12 to 13 years of age¹¹
• Adolescents who missed the school vaccination may be able to see their doctor to get the free vaccine¹¹

Adults

• Pregnant women between mid-2nd trimester and early 3rd trimester (between 20 and 32 weeks gestation) of each pregnancy. Vaccination during pregnancy protects the newborn, especially in the first 6 weeks of life, via antibodies that cross the placenta.¹¹

Other

• Eligible people under 20 years old and refugees and other humanitarian entrants of any age can get a free catch-up vaccination. This is if they did not receive the vaccines in childhood and it is recommended to receive the vaccine.¹¹

Talk to your health care practitioner about whooping cough and its prevention today.