Newborn

Infants and young children are at particular risk of contracting pertussis until they have completed their primary immunization series. For maximum protection, children need a primary series of pertussis-containing vaccine at two, four, and six months followed by booster doses at 18 months, between four to six years of age, and again as part of the school-based immunization program, which in Nova Scotia, occurs in Grade 7.

The best way to prevent mortality and significant morbidity from pertussis is for health care providers to:

• offer one dose of pertussis containing vaccine (Tdap) to all pregnant women, ideally at 27-32 weeks of gestation. An earlier gestation may be chosen in some circumstances;
• ensure that infants and young children are immunized according to the recommended schedule; and
• recommend that caregivers and close contacts of infants and young children receive a pertussis immunization.

The current recommendation from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association (CPCA), and the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) is that pulse oximetry screening should be routinely performed in all healthy newborns to enhance the detection of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) in Canada.