If you weren’t already convinced about the importance of not only vaccinating your children – but ensuring adults coming into close contact with your newborn are immunised also – you will be after seeing this video, released by the Mayo Clinic.
I’ll be honest, the heart-wrenching clip is difficult to watch.
The baby girl’s mother tries to comfort her as she continuously coughs, convulses and struggles to breath.
Whooping Cough is an acute respiratory illness caused by a lung infection with the bacteria Bordetella pertussis, resulting in prolonged illness.
Earlier this year, the parents of four week old Riley Hughes, who tragically died after contracting Whooping Cough, pleaded with families to vaccinate their children.
Riley’s passing put whooping cough back into the spotlight, with this year’s reported cases of the disease up 300 per cent on rates for the same period last year.
At just 32 days old, little Riley was too young to receive the vaccine.
The Australian immunisation schedule advises vaccination at two, four and six months, and four years of age.
“Routine vaccination, including of children, adolescents, and pregnant women, is the single most important strategy to prevent infection with this pathogen,” says obstetrician Dr Brad Robinson.
“Infected infants can develop serious complications, ranging from failure to thrive, and breathlessness, through to pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death.”