Vaccination
Whooping cough (pertussis) booster
Whooping cough isn't only a childhood illness. Protection from the childhood course fades within a few years, which is why adults catch it and why they pass it to babies before they realise they have it. In adults it usually means weeks of exhausting coughing, sometimes months.
- GPhC premises 9011598
Recommendations depend on your health history and current guidance.
GPhC registered premises
9011598
Private and NHS pharmacy services from one registered pharmacy in Ewell, Epsom.
In short
A whooping cough booster is £100 at Miles Pharmacy in Epsom: one injection covering whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and polio, from age 3. It's what US universities, some employers and visa routes mean by Tdap. The standard NHS travel booster doesn't contain whooping cough.
- Covers
- Four diseases whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and polio
- Licensed from
- Age 3 the same vaccine as the NHS pre-school booster
- Works within
- Two to four weeks pertussis antibodies take that long to build
- Price
- £100 one dose
If a university, employer or visa asks for Tdap
This is the most common reason people book, and the one where the wrong vaccine costs someone a place or a start date.
- Why UK records get rejected
- The booster most UK adults have had covers tetanus, diphtheria and polio. It contains no whooping cough component. Forms asking for Tdap want a pertussis-containing vaccine, so a UK record often comes back refused.
- What we give
- A four-in-one booster covering whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and polio in a single injection. It contains the pertussis component these forms are asking for.
- US universities
- Most ask for a documented Tdap dose, usually within the last ten years, before you enrol. Check your own university's wording, since a few name particular vaccines or dates.
- Work abroad
- Healthcare, aged care, childcare and education roles often ask for current whooping cough cover. The requirement comes from the employer, regulator or visa route, not from UK guidance, so confirm the exact wording before you book.
- Your paperwork
- You'll get a dated certificate showing the vaccine, the batch number and the diseases it covers, and we'll complete your university or employer immunisation form at the appointment.
- Bring the requirement with you
- If you're not sure which vaccine your form means, bring it in. We'd rather read it with you than have you pay for the wrong thing.
Work it out
Which booster does your form actually need?
A few questions about why you need it and what the form says.
This works out an answer in your browser. With JavaScript off, the sections below say the same thing in full.
Call us on 020 8393 1000Your answer
- Reasons it knows
- 5
- Rules last checked
- 17 September 2026
Requirements are set by universities, employers and visa routes and can change. Always confirm the wording with whoever is asking, and bring it to your appointment.
If you're pregnant
From 16 weeks, every pregnancy. Whooping cough vaccination is recommended from 16 weeks of each pregnancy. Antibodies pass to your baby and protect them in the weeks before their own vaccinations start.
Why it matters. Babies under three months are at the greatest risk from whooping cough, and are too young to be fully vaccinated themselves. Vaccination in pregnancy is highly effective at preventing infant deaths.
Which vaccine. UKHSA's preferred choice in pregnancy is the three-in-one version, with the four-in-one used where that isn't available. We'll talk through which is appropriate.
A new baby in the family
- How babies catch it
- Usually from an adult at home who has a cough they've put down to a cold. Whooping cough is most contagious in that first week or two, before the coughing fits start.
- Who it's worth it for
- Partners, grandparents, older siblings over 3, and anyone who'll be helping with a newborn. It doesn't replace the mother's vaccination in pregnancy, it adds to it.
- Timing
- Ideally a couple of weeks before the baby arrives or before you visit, since pertussis antibodies take two to four weeks to build.
- Visiting a new baby abroad
- Same logic, with the added point that you'll be around other people's children on the way.
Travel and the tetanus booster you're probably due
-
No country requires it
Whooping cough vaccination isn't an entry requirement anywhere. It's about your own protection and the people around you.
-
Where it makes sense
Long trips, working or volunteering abroad, staying with family who have young children, and anywhere crowded for long stretches.
-
Killing two birds
If your tetanus booster is more than ten years old, this single injection updates tetanus, diphtheria and polio at the same time as adding whooping cough.
-
If you only need tetanus
If all you need is tetanus, diphtheria and polio, our tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster is £45. It just won't cover whooping cough.
-
Polio
The polio component matters for travel to the few countries where poliovirus still circulates, and for anyone whose childhood course was incomplete.
-
Work it out
Which booster does your form actually need?
The vaccine, and how it differs from the others
- One injection, four diseases
- Whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and polio, given into the upper arm. Licensed from 3 years of age, and it's the same vaccine now used for the NHS pre-school booster.
- How long it lasts
- Tetanus, diphtheria and polio protection lasts around ten years. Whooping cough protection fades faster, over a few years, so this is a top-up rather than lifetime cover.
- When it starts working
- Tetanus and diphtheria protection boosts quickly if you've been vaccinated before. Pertussis antibodies build over two to four weeks, so two to four weeks before a trip or a birth is ideal.
- If your childhood course is unknown
- The product information advises two further tetanus and diphtheria containing doses, at one month and six months, to complete protection. We'll check your history and tell you if that applies.
- Had whooping cough before?
- Infection doesn't give reliable lifelong protection, and there's no blood test for pertussis immunity, so a booster is still worthwhile and is safe to have.
- With other vaccines
- It can be given at the same appointment as other travel or routine vaccines, in a different arm.
What it costs
Price
| Vaccine | What that covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Whooping cough (pertussis) booster | Single dose | £100 |
One price, paid when you book.
Why adults get whooping cough
- Protection fades
- Immunity from the childhood course and from previous infection wears off over a few years, so adults are susceptible again long before they think they are.
- It doesn't look like whooping cough
- Adults often don't get the classic whoop. What they get is weeks of coughing fits, disturbed sleep, strained ribs and exhaustion. It's sometimes called the hundred day cough.
- It comes in waves
- Cases rise every few years. England saw a large outbreak through 2024, with more than 10,000 laboratory-confirmed cases in the first half of that year and infant deaths, alongside falling vaccination uptake in pregnancy.
- You're contagious before you know
- The most infectious period is the first week or two, when it still looks like a cold. That's how it reaches babies.
Safety
Safety and side effects
-
Common
A sore, red or swollen arm for a day or two, sometimes with a headache, tiredness or aching. A mild fever is less common.
-
Less common
Nausea, dizziness, a mild rash, or more noticeable swelling at the injection site.
-
Not a live vaccine
So it's suitable for people with weakened immune systems, though the response may be reduced.
-
Who shouldn't have it
Anyone who's had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or an ingredient. Postpone if you're unwell with a fever. A cold is fine.
-
A recent tetanus dose
If you've had a tetanus-containing vaccine in the past year, tell us. Another may not be needed yet, and we'll advise.
-
Breastfeeding
Safe, and it doesn't affect your milk or your baby.
-
Work it out
Which booster does your form actually need?
Your appointment
What the appointment involves
- Bring
- Any vaccination records, and the exact wording of any university, employer or visa requirement, plus the form itself if there is one.
- How long
- About fifteen minutes, including a short wait afterwards.
- What you leave with
- A dated certificate with the vaccine name, batch number and diseases covered, and your form completed.
Before you book
Questions about the whooping cough (pertussis) booster vaccine
Answered by the pharmacist who signs this page off.
-
£100 for a single injection, including the consultation and your certificate.
-
It contains the whooping cough component that Tdap requirements ask for, along with tetanus, diphtheria and polio. Check your own form's wording, as a few name specific vaccines, and bring it with you.
-
Not for a Tdap or whooping cough requirement. The standard UK booster covers tetanus, diphtheria and polio only, with no pertussis component. That's the usual reason a UK record is rejected.
-
It's licensed from age 3, and it's the same vaccine used for the NHS pre-school booster, given at 3 years 4 months.
-
Tetanus, diphtheria and polio for around ten years. Whooping cough protection fades faster, over a few years, which is why boosters are repeated when there's a reason.
-
Yes, it's still worth having. Infection doesn't give reliable lifelong protection, and there's no test for current pertussis immunity.
-
Two to four weeks is ideal, as pertussis antibodies take that long to build. Later is still worth doing.
-
No country requires whooping cough vaccination for entry. Requirements come from universities, employers and some visa routes.
-
Yes, at the same appointment, in a different arm.
-
Yes. Bring the form and we'll complete it alongside a dated certificate showing the vaccine, batch number and diseases covered.
Find the pharmacy
Where to come, and when
Miles Pharmacy is in Epsom, Surrey. Patients come to us from across Surrey, including Ewell, Ashtead, Leatherhead and Banstead, and from Sutton, Cheam, Surbiton and Kingston in south-west London.
Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 9UR
How to get here Parking, trains, buses and step-free access
-
The door is on Chessington Road, with step-free access
-
The station car park, on Station Approach off Chessington Road
- Address Elizabeth Court, Station Approach, KT17 1DR
-
Step-free to all platforms, by a footbridge with lifts
- Step-free to every platform (National Rail step-free category A)
- Lifts two, on the footbridge
Checked against nationalrail.co.uk
-
Outside the pharmacy, with a stop on each side of Chessington Road
-
Cycle parking at the station
Take this with you
Point your phone's camera at the code and this page opens there, with the directions one tap away.
Sources
- UKHSA Green Book chapter 24: pertussis. Checked .
- Summary of Product Characteristics, four-in-one diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio booster (electronic medicines compendium). Checked .
- UKHSA: which pertussis vaccine to use. Checked .
- UKHSA Vaccine update issue 358: pre-school booster brand change, dated . Checked .
- NHS: whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy. Checked .
Vaccination
Book a time that suits you.
Choose a service and a date that suits you. One of us confirms it with you directly.
- Private and NHS
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Open until 6:30pm
Prefer to talk? 020 8393 1000