During a pertussis epidemic in 2011-2012 the Western Australian (WA) Department of Health implemented a ‘cocooning’ programme, offering free pertussis-containing vaccine (dTpa) [Tdap] to new parents.
We assessed the impact of vaccinating parents with dTpa on the incidence of pertussis infection in newborns.
There was no difference in the incidence of pertussis among infants whose parents were both vaccinated postpartum compared to those with unvaccinated parents.
Similarly, when assessed independently, maternal postpartum vaccination was not protective.
[V]accinating parents with dTpa during the four weeks following delivery did not reduce pertussis diagnoses in infants.