Infants are much less likely to get whooping cough if their mothers are vaccinated against the potentially fatal respiratory infection during pregnancy, a large U.S. study finds.
The bacteria Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough, which gets its nickname from the sounds patients make as they gasp for air during intense coughing fits. Pertussis is highly contagious and easily spread when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. About half of babies under age one who catch pertussis require hospitalization for serious complications like pneumonia or brain disorders.
Read more at Reuters.