Free Whooping Cough Vaccines in Monmouth County

Monmouth County, NJ – With two cases of highly contagious whooping cough reported – one in Allentown, and the other in Millstone – the Monmouth County Health Department is offering two free Tdap vaccine clinics on Wednesday, Dec. 16 and Dec. 22. Hear the terrible sound of what whooping cough sounds like here, from the CDC.

The clinics will be at the Monmouth County Health Department at 3435 Highway 9:

• Wednesday, Dec. 16 from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, Dec. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon

No appointments are necessary, but vaccines are given on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call the County Health Department at 732-431-7456.

Anyone 19 years or older who has not been vaccinated should get the Tdap vaccine, say county health officials, but especially pregnant women, healthcare workers and people who have close contact with a baby younger than 12 months. Whooping cough, called pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory disease known for uncontrollable, violent coughing which often makes it hard to breathe. After fits of many coughs, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breaths which result in a “whooping” sound.

The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. Whooping cough is usually not fatal, but babies and young children have died from it.