For about a year, maternity clinics in the Västra Götaland region have been vaccinating pregnant women against whooping cough, with the vaccination rate rising quickly from approximately seven percent in 2023 to just over 66 percent in 2025, according to reports. Angered and Bergsjön participated in a pilot project, offering whooping cough vaccination half a year earlier than other maternity clinics in the region, which started in 2025. In 2024, the vaccination rate was about 20 percent, related to the vaccination start in November with high participation, sources indicate.
Previously, midwives referred pregnant women to healthcare centers for vaccination, which meant an additional step and often a barrier, as noted by clinic staff. When the clinics in Angered and Bergsjön started offering vaccination—and not just information about vaccination—the midwives took greater responsibility in the process, according to accounts. The vaccination is often done in connection with already booked appointments, making it both easier and safer for patients, as described by healthcare providers.
Many patients in the area are foreign-born and experience the healthcare system as difficult to navigate, based on patient feedback. An important working method has been that midwives provide information about whooping cough vaccination at several different times during pregnancy, as reported by the clinics. Many patients express concern about side effects or have a general skepticism towards vaccines, according to midwife observations.
Since many visits occur with an interpreter and thus take longer, more space in the meeting is required to inform about the vaccination, as noted by staff. In addition to vaccination in connection with other visits, the clinics have also set up their own vaccination times in the booking system to make it even more accessible for pregnant women to get vaccinated, sources say. 6 percent, according to data.