Pregnant women to be given whooping cough vaccine to protect unborn child Neither the mother nor the baby can contract whooping cough from the vaccine. There have been almost 5,000 cases of whooping cough so far this year, almost five times higher than an average full year, official figures have revealed. The main symptoms are severe coughing fits which, in babies and children, are accompanied by the characteristic "whoop" sound as the child gasps for breath after coughing and often vomiting. It can last for months with many small children needing hospital treatment while teenagers and adults suffer a milder disease which can be missed making it easier for them to pass it on to others, including babies. Currently babies are vaccinated against whooping cough, or pertussis, at eight, 12 and 16 weeks and this will remain in place as the protection offered by the mother will wane by the time the baby is around two months old. Vaccine uptake is currently very high and is not linked to the resurgence in cases, experts said, however protection from the jab and following infection with whooping cough does wane over time, allowing outbreaks every three to four years. The vaccine Repevax, will be offered from Monday, and has been in use in Britain for a decade as the pre-school booster given to children at around age three. It contains inactivated tetanus, Diphtheria, pertussis and Polio. There is no single whooping cough vaccine available and similar jabs have been in use in adults, including pregnant women in Germany and France for a number of years. Also vaccination of pregnant women has been routine in America for the past 18 months following similar increases in cases there. No safety concerns have been raised about the vaccine in pregnancy although the information leaflet contained with the jab says it is not recommended for pregnant women. Pregnant women will be offered the vaccine by their GP or midwife between 28 and 32 weeks gestation but can receive it up to 38 weeks. This is to give them time to mount an immune response and make antibodies which are naturally passed to the unborn baby. Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies said: "Whooping cough is highly contagious and newborns are particularly vulnerable. Nine infants have died as a result of whooping cough this year and there have been 302 cases of the disease in children under three months old. It's vital that babies are protected from the day they are born - that's why we are offering the vaccine to all pregnant women. Professor David Salisbury, Director of Immunisation said: "Over the last year we have seen a large rise in the number of whooping cough cases with the most serious cases being in children too young to be protected by routine vaccinations. The vaccine that we are offering to pregnant women has been recommended by experts and a similar vaccine is already given to pregnant women in the US. If you are pregnant, getting vaccinated is the best way you can protect your baby against whooping cough. Consideration was given to offering booster vaccinations to teenagers leaving school as immunity from the vaccine and infection by the disease wanes over time but this would have taken years to have an affect on cases in babies, Prof Salisbury said. Also experts considered immunising babies at an earlier age but this would have prevented fewer cases and very young babies cannot react properly to vaccines. Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the HPA, said: "We have been very concerned about the continuing increase in whooping cough cases and related deaths. We welcome the urgent measure from the Department of Health to minimise the harm from whooping cough, particularly in young infants, and we encourage all pregnant women to ensure they receive the vaccination to give their baby the best protection against whooping cough. It's also important we continue to remind all parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against whooping cough to continue their protection through childhood. "Parents should also be alert to the signs and symptoms - which include severe coughing fits accompanied by the characteristic "whoop" sound in young children but as a prolonged cough in older children or adults. It is also advisable to keep their babies away from older siblings or adults who have the infection.