Whooping Cough Day – Stay up to date. Vaccinate
Whooping Cough Day – Stay up to date. Vaccinate
10 November 2026
National Whooping Cough Day raises awareness of whooping cough (pertussis) and the importance of keeping immunisations up to date.
This year’s theme – ‘Stay up to date. Vaccinate’ – encourages everyone to speak to their immunisation provider about vaccinations they may need for protection against infectious diseases.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious infection that affects the airways and can cause severe, uncontrollable coughing. While people of all ages can get whooping cough, young babies and children are at greatest risk of serious illness. Complications can include pneumonia, breathing difficulties and, in severe cases, death.
Getting immunised during pregnancy helps protect babies during their first few months of life until they can receive the required vaccine doses themselves. Family members and caregivers should ensure their immunisations are up to date to reduce the chances of spreading the disease to newborns.
Immunisation is the best way to protect yourself and those around you from whooping cough. Protection decreases over time, which is why booster doses are recommended at different stages of life.
The whooping cough vaccine is free through the National Immunisation Program (NIP) (external site) for:
- babies and children at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 18 months and 4 years of age
- adolescents aged 11 to 13 years (usually provided to Year 7 students through the school immunisation program)
- pregnant people during every pregnancy, preferably between 20 and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
Immunisation coverage against whooping cough remains high in Western Australia, however, cases still occur, so make sure you and your family stay up to date with recommended immunisations.