Recognising whooping cough

• Whooping cough often starts with a cold. After two weeks heavy coughing starts. The coughing can last a long time
• Babies under 1 year old can sometimes have whooping cough without coughing. They may cry a lot, may not drink and have trouble breathing. For more information, see this page from RIVM

Do you think you or someone in your family has whooping cough?

Contact your GP if:

• Your child is under 1 year old and you think they have whooping cough
• There is someone with whooping cough in the family and your baby is not protected
• There is someone with whooping cough in the family and someone is heavily pregnant

Is your child over 1 year old and do you think they have whooping cough? If so, tell the school or nursery. For more advice, check out this page from RIVM

Over 34 weeks pregnant and haven't had a shot against whooping cough during pregnancy?

• Call your GP if you have not had a shot against whooping cough, are more than 34 weeks pregnant and have had contact with someone with whooping cough

Protection through vaccination

For babies and children

Vaccination against whooping cough provides protection against this disease. Babies get their first shot against whooping cough when they are 3 months old. You will automatically receive an invitation. For more information, see the page for vaccinations for children and adolescents (Dutch).

During pregnancy: 22-week shot

The whooping cough vaccination protects you and your baby against whooping cough for the first 3 months.
From the 22nd week of pregnancy until delivery, you can get a whooping cough vaccination. This way, your baby is protected right from birth. The whooping cough vaccination is also called the 22-week shot You can make an appointment yourself via the Parent Portal (Dutch) or walk in without an appointment during our walk-in consultations (Dutch).