Quebec still lags behind in pertussis vaccinations for pregnant women, putting infants at greater risk of contracting the disease. According to new data released by Statistics Canada, the situation is improving, but there is still a long way to go.
With a pertussis vaccination rate for pregnant women of 75.2% in 2021, Quebec ranks seventh among Canadian provinces and territories behind Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and the Yukon.
The four Atlantic provinces are far ahead of the others with respective rates of 80.4% for Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia; 79.5% for New Brunswick; and 79% for Newfoundland and Labrador. For comparison, the Canadian average is 64.8% in 2021.
As far as Quebec is concerned, there has been a significant leap since the previous study conducted in 2019. At the time, the whooping cough vaccination rate was barely 48.8% in Quebec.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that all pregnant women in Canada receive one dose of the Tdap vaccine, which protects once morest tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis, during pregnancy.
This vaccine has demonstrated its effectiveness in protecting “newborns once morest whooping cough during the first two months of their life, when they are most vulnerable”, specifies one in the publication relating to the National survey on Childhood Immunization Coverage (ENCVE), sponsored by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Although there has been a marked improvement in the vaccination coverage, it might possibly have been even better without the complications linked to the COVID-19. The survey highlights that around one in 10 women report facing obstacles or delays of at least a month to get their vaccine due to the health crisis.
According to the information available online on the platform of the Montreal Regional Public Health Department, whooping cough is “a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by a bacterium”. Symptoms include runny nose, loss of appetite and especially a persistent cough that sounds like a rooster.
Between 240 and 1600 cases are recorded each year in Quebec. Vaccination reduces the risk of contracting the disease by 90%, particularly during the first four to six years of life. Vaccination during pregnancy also reduces the risk of contracting the disease by 90% for babies under three months of age.
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