The voluntary and free dTap vaccine, which protects against whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus, has been added to the national vaccination program for pregnant individuals starting July 1, 2025. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has recommended the dTap vaccine for pregnant individuals since August 2024 due to an increase in whooping cough cases. Already, more than half of pregnant individuals in Finland have received the whooping cough vaccine.
Antibodies produced by the vaccine are transferred to the fetus, providing newborns with effective protection against whooping cough. Whooping cough is dangerous for infants under one year of age, especially newborns, who have not yet received their first vaccine dose at three months of age.
THL recommends administering the dTap booster dose between pregnancy weeks 16–32, to ensure that protective antibodies are transferred to the fetus before birth. If necessary, the vaccine can also be given later in pregnancy. Wellbeing services counties and maternity clinics are responsible for organizing the vaccinations.
According to the national vaccination program, children receive the whooping cough vaccine at 3, 5, and 12 months of age, and again at age 4. The children’s vaccination schedule continues as normal, regardless of whether the mother received the vaccine during pregnancy. The dTap vaccine is also recommended in the national program for 14–15-year-olds and 25-year-olds.
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