Pertussis or whooping cough is on the rise, and this disease can be deadly for infants. Nevertheless, the number of pertussis cases in Malaysia in the past few years has increased to a worrying level. However, infants can only receive the DTaP vaccine starting from two months of age. To address this gap in protection, it is recommended that mothers get vaccinated during their third trimester (16th to 32nd weeks) of pregnancy. The vaccine recommended for pregnant women is the Tdap vaccine, which is a one-dose booster shot for adults to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.

Source: The Star August 20, 2020 23:26 UTC