As per a study, infants have more chances to catch whooping cough from their siblings than their moms. Moms were used to be considered as the more common source of infection earlier. According to the study of government data, the scenario has probably changed due to increased frequency of whooping cough among school-aged children.

The research noted that infants have the greatest risk of severe illness and death due to whooping cough, especially before the age of 2 months, which is the recommended age for starting a series of vaccinations against the disease.

Experts have come up with two strategies to protect infants. They are, vaccinating close contacts after child birth such as parents and siblings, and vaccinating pregnant women, who can transfer some protection from disease prior to birth.

The research authors said that the study findings have suggested that the first option is likely to be not as useful as hoped, so the top priority should be boosting low vaccination rates among pregnant women.

During the study, researchers examined data from 1,306 infants in seven states who were diagnosed between 2006 and 2013. They were able to identify the source of infection for around half the children. They found that of all, siblings were associated with over a third of the cases and moms were linked to about one-fifth. Next came, fathers, accounting for another 10% which was a little higher than grandparents and aunts or uncles.