Pertussis is a very serious and very contagious infection. Infants and nursing babies have a greater risk of serious complications, especially in the first six months of life. Permanent neurological complications, pneumonia, respiratory failure and other conditions may arise that require hospitalization and that can even lead to death. In the first year of life, pertussis does not manifest as coughing attacks but instead as episodes of apnea during which the child stops breathing.
In general, the infection is transmitted by the mother herself or another close relative.
For this reason, pertussis vaccination (dTpa vaccine, or dTpa-polio where indicated) is strongly recommended during each pregnancy. It can also be administered in combination with the influenza vaccine.
