April 05, 2023
Coughing crisis spurs calls for help
A leading Māori health researcher says outbreaks of whooping cough and measles are highly likely because of current low vaccination rates.
Dr Sue Crengle from the University of Otago says the death of a third pepe from whooping cough last week should be a wake up call for whanau to get their pepe and tamariki checked.
“With whooping cough, especially if they look like they’re having trouble breathing, so they’re breathing fast and they’re having to pull their tummy in to take a breath, or they’re coughing and coughing and they don’t seem to be able to stop, then absolutely get some advice from a tamariki ora nurse or take them to see a doctor,” she says.
Dr Crengle says no one should ever be made to feel bad about asking for help for their baby.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand College of Midwives says Te Whatu Ora needs to strengthen its focus on immunisation during pregnancy as the first point of protection for babies.
Chief executive, Alison Eddy, says it’s great to see pharmacies providing free whooping cough and flu immunisations to pregnant women and people, but more public health promotion is needed to raise awareness.
“Having a whooping cough immunisation during pregnancy protects pēpi (baby) in their first weeks of life before they can receive their first infant immunisations, as the immunity to whooping cough passes through the placenta to the unborn baby. Additionally, it protects pregnant women from catching whooping cough and it reduces the chance of them passing whooping cough to a newborn,”
Ms Eddy says.