This story appeared on KOAT Albuquerque. Read more here.
A new study found that moms who receive the whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy give birth to infants who are better protected against the infection.
The study in JAMA Pediatrics looked at the more than 57,000 cases reported in babies under 1 year old from 2000 to 2019.
Whooping cough may begin like a common cold, but unlike a cold, the coughing can last for weeks or months.
Pediatrician Dr. Ashanti Woods from Mercy Medical Center said babies whose moms are not vaccinated are at the highest risk of getting sick until they’re 2 months old and get their own shots.
“About 1,000 visits a year take place in the youngest of babies, often requiring an ICU admission where babies have to sometimes be ventilated,” said Woods.
Woods added that pregnant women should get the vaccine during each pregnancy between weeks 27 and 36.