Vaccination of employees: pertussis

Employees who are in contact with infants under the age of 6 months should be offered vaccination against pertussis (whooping cough) by their employer. This is the main conclusion of an advisory report sent by the Health Council to the State Secretary of Participation and Integration (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment). The vaccination is meant to protect the infants. Despite the introduction of maternal pertussis vaccination in 2019, there is still a group of infants who are not sufficiently protected during their first months of life.

Pertussis is a highly contagious disease. In healthy adults, pertussis is mostly mild or without complaints, but in newborns it can lead to very serious illness. In 2017, the Health Council recommended offering pertussis vaccination to employees who are in contact with infants under the age of 6 months, to protect the infants. This is because vaccination of the infants themselves only provides complete protection after several repeat vaccinations, so after several months.

Since 2019, all pregnant people are offered vaccination against pertussis to make sure that infants are protected from birth. Despite this, there are still infants who are insufficiently protected in their first months of life. Not all pregnant people get vaccinated, and sometimes insufficient antibodies are transferred, for example when the infant is born prematurely. This is why, according to the Health Council, it is still necessary to offer pertussis vaccination to employers who are in contact with infants under the age of 6 months.