Vaccines in pregnancy in Ireland, and your baby's first vaccines

What you are offered in pregnancy

The HSE recommends two vaccines in every pregnancy: whooping cough (pertussis) and flu. In some cases your GP may also recommend a COVID-19 vaccine. They protect you from serious illness, and they protect your baby in the womb and for the first few months of life, before the baby can be vaccinated.

You can have them at the same time, usually in different arms. One practical point: in Ireland you arrange the appointment yourself with your GP or a pharmacy that offers the vaccine, so put it in your diary. The pregnancy vaccination schedule calculator dates the windows from your due date.

Whooping cough: between weeks 16 and 36, every pregnancy

The HSE advises having the whooping cough vaccine in each pregnancy, between week 16 and week 36. You can still have it after 36 weeks, but it is less effective. It contains no live bacteria, so it cannot give you whooping cough.

The vaccine is free at your GP practice if the practice takes part in the Maternity and Infant Care scheme. If it does not, you may have to pay, so ask when you book.

Your baby's own whooping cough protection comes later. The 6-in-1 vaccine, which includes whooping cough, is given in 3 doses between 2 and 6 months, and your child is not fully vaccinated until all 3 are done. The HSE adds two warnings. If you did not have the vaccine in pregnancy and your baby is under 6 weeks old, ask your GP about getting vaccinated urgently. And a baby born before 32 weeks is not protected by the pregnancy vaccine, because they did not receive enough antibodies in the womb, so everyone in contact with them should be vaccinated. Read more in whooping cough in babies.

Flu: at any stage during the flu season

You can have the flu vaccine safely at any time in pregnancy. Flu season in Ireland usually runs from October to the end of April, and the HSE says that if you are pregnant during those months you should get it. The vaccine and the appointment are free for pregnant women, from your GP practice or a pharmacy.

The reason is not only your own health. The HSE states that flu can lead to premature birth, smaller babies and stillbirth, that the vaccine can reduce the risk of stillbirth by over 50%, and that it lowers your baby's risk of being admitted to hospital with flu after birth.

COVID-19: ask your GP

The HSE asks you to talk to your GP or healthcare team about COVID-19 vaccination. Its position is that the vaccines are safe for you and your baby, that pregnant women are more likely than other women to need intensive care with COVID-19, and that young babies whose mothers were vaccinated in pregnancy were less likely to need hospital care for it.

RSV: Ireland protects the baby directly

This is where Ireland differs from its neighbours. There is no RSV vaccine in pregnancy on the HSE's list. Instead, your baby is offered nirsevimab, an antibody injection given after birth. It is not a vaccine: it gives your baby ready-made antibodies, works straight away, and protects against severe RSV for 5 months through autumn and winter. One injection into the thigh covers the first winter.

RSV season in Ireland usually runs from September to February, and the HSE says 1 in 2 babies gets RSV during the season. For the 2026 to 2027 season, free RSV immunisation is offered from 1 September to:

• babies born between 1 September 2026 and 28 February 2027, in the maternity hospital soon after birth, including babies born at home
• babies born between 1 March 2026 and 31 August 2026, through your GP practice, ideally early in the season
• some high-risk babies under 24 months, such as those born before 30 weeks or with heart or lung disease, through referral by their paediatrician.

The HSE says nirsevimab prevents more than 80% of RSV hospitalisations, and it can be given alongside routine vaccines. Read more in bronchiolitis and RSV.

If you live in Northern Ireland, the offer is different. nidirect lists whooping cough, flu and an RSV vaccine in each pregnancy, and says COVID-19 vaccination is no longer routinely recommended in pregnancy. Our UK pregnancy vaccines guide covers the wider UK picture.

Vaccines to avoid while pregnant

Always tell your GP or pharmacist that you are pregnant before you book any vaccine. Many vaccines, such as tetanus, are safe in pregnancy, but live vaccines such as yellow fever and MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) are not. Our guide to whether the flu and whooping cough jabs are safe in pregnancy covers the safety questions.

Your baby's vaccine schedule

Ireland has run two schedules since 1 October 2024. A baby born on or after that date follows this one:

The 6-in-1 protects against diphtheria, tetanus, Hib, whooping cough, polio and hepatitis B. Older children born before 1 October 2024 stay on the previous schedule: MenC at 6 months, a combined Hib/MenC vaccine at 13 months, MMR rather than MMRV at 4 to 5 years, and no chickenpox vaccine. If an older sibling wants it, you can ask your GP, but you will have to pay. School vaccines are usually given at school; in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal your GP practice gives them.

From age 2, children can have a free flu vaccine as a nasal spray each season, up to age 17. A high temperature after vaccines is common, particularly after MenB. The baby vaccination schedule calculator turns your baby's date of birth into dates, and baby vaccinations: what to expect covers the appointments themselves. If a dose is missed, see immunisation catch-up in Ireland.

Where to get help

For pregnancy vaccines, contact your GP practice or a pharmacy that offers them, and ask whether the practice is in the Maternity and Infant Care scheme. For your baby's vaccines, contact your GP, public health nurse or local immunisation team. HSE Live answers general health questions on freephone 1800 700 700, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an RSV vaccine in pregnancy in Ireland?

No. The HSE recommends whooping cough and flu vaccines in pregnancy, and RSV is not on that list. Ireland instead offers babies nirsevimab, an antibody injection that works straight away and protects for 5 months. Babies born between 1 September 2026 and 28 February 2027 get it in the maternity hospital.

When should I get the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy in Ireland?

The HSE advises having it in every pregnancy, between week 16 and week 36. You can have it after 36 weeks, but it is less effective. It is free at GP practices in the Maternity and Infant Care scheme; elsewhere you may have to pay, so ask when you book.

Is the flu vaccine free in pregnancy in Ireland?

Yes. The HSE states that the flu vaccine and the appointment are free for pregnant women, from your GP practice or a pharmacy. You can have it safely at any stage of pregnancy, and you should if you are pregnant during the flu season, which usually runs from October to the end of April.

How many vaccines will I be offered during pregnancy?

Two as standard: whooping cough between weeks 16 and 36, and flu at any stage during the flu season. Your GP may also recommend a COVID-19 vaccine. You can have them on the same day in different arms, and you book them yourself with your GP or a pharmacy.