Babies with older siblings have a higher infection risk, but are less protected through vaccination

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 03, 2026 · 736 words · By Thomas Schober

Maternal Immunization Healthcare Accessibility Public Health

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What to know about Maternal Immunization

The author presents research indicating that maternal vaccination rates for pertussis and influenza in New Zealand decrease with each subsequent pregnancy. The article argues that later-born babies face a higher risk of infection due to exposure from older siblings and lower rates of maternal immunization, suggesting that healthcare services should improve accessibility for larger families.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Parents know how easily coughs, colds and other infections can move through a household after a child picks up a bug at childcare or school.

Why it matters

This puts babies with older siblings at greater risk of serious infectious illness, especially while their immune systems are still developing during the critical first months of life.

Common ground

Maternal vaccination during pregnancy helps boost babies’ protection.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Maternal Immunization story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that By the fourth pregnancy, these figures had fallen to 38% and 24%?
How does this story connect Maternal Immunization with Healthcare Accessibility over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/babies-with-older-siblings-have-a-higher-infection-r…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4

schedule Pending 4

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 2

verified

Claim 1: “By the fourth pregnancy, these figures had fallen to 38% and 24%.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results that specifies vaccine uptake percentages for fourth pregnancies in New Zealand.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The word city took on two meanings in New Zealand after the local government reforms of 1989. Before the reforms, a borough that had a population of 20,000 or more could be proclaimed a city. The boun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_in_New_Zealand

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New Zealanders of European descent are mostly of British and Irish ancestry, with significantly smaller percentages of other European ancestries such as Germans, Poles, French, Dutch, Croats and othe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_New_Zealanders

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller island…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “In Aotearoa New Zealand, vaccination against pertussis, also known as whooping cough, and influenza is publicly funded and recommended during every pregnancy.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that pertussis and influenza vaccinations are publicly funded and recommended during every pregnancy in Aotearoa New Zealand.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In Aotearoa New Zealand, vaccination against pertussis, also known as whooping cough, and influenza is publicly funded and recommended during every pregnancy. These vaccines do not only protect the mo…
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-babies-older-siblings…

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web search NEUTRAL — In Aotearoa (New Zealand), antenatal vaccination for influenza and pertussis has been fully funded since 2010 and 2013, respectively [2]. These are the only vaccinations that are currently recommended…
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12737529/

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web search NEUTRAL — Immunisation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Immunisation provides individual and community protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. This makes it a powerful public health measure to protect populations…
https://immune.org.nz/factsheets/recommended-and-funded-vacc…

schedule

Claim 3: “There is evidence that making maternal pertussis vaccination available through pharmacies increased uptake, particularly for Māori women.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 4: “Among first pregnancies, uptake was 69% for pertussis and 45% for influenza.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While one source mentions similar percentages (70% and 46%) for women in south-east Queensland, Australia, there is no evidence provided for the specific New Zealand first-pregnancy uptake figures of 69% and 45%.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New Zealand has a highly developed free-market economy. As of 2025, New Zealand's nominal GDP was US$248 billion. In the 2025 IMF rankings New Zealand was the 52nd-largest national economy in the worl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_New_Zealand

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Previous studies confirm that maternal immunisation substantially reduces babies’ risk of infection and hospitalisation from pertussis and influenza”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including study summaries and medical reports, link maternal Tdap and influenza vaccination to a substantially lower risk of infant hospitalization and infection.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jan 8, 2026 ... This study found that maternal influenza and Tdap vaccinations were associated with reduced influenza- and pertussis-related hospitalization or ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12784226/

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... Baxter R, Bartlett J, Fireman B, Lewis E, Klein NP. Effectiveness of Vaccination During Pregnancy to Prevent Infant Pertussis. Pediatrics. 2017 ...
https://www.facebook.com/AmerAcadPeds/posts/maternal-vaccine…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 9, 2026 ... Maternal vaccination during pregnancy was associated with a substantially lower risk of influenza- and pertussis-related hospitalizations ...
https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/maternal-influenza-an…

schedule

Claim 6: “Studies in other countries have found later-born children have higher rates of hospitalisation for respiratory conditions and receive more prescriptions for contagious diseases early in life.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 7: “In second pregnancies, this decreased to 63% and 41% respectively.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results that specifies vaccine uptake percentages for second pregnancies in New Zealand.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Later-born babies were more likely to be hospitalised for these diseases [pertussis and influenza] than their earlier-born siblings.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 9: “Analysis of current Aotearoa Immunisation Register data for births in the year to June 2025 shows 61% of mothers received a pertussis vaccine and 40% received an influenza vaccine during pregnancy.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence does not contain the specific Aotearoa Immunisation Register data for June 2025 or the percentages (61% and 40%) mentioned in the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A general election took place in New Zealand on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th New Zealand Parliament. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Repre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_New_Zealand_general_elect…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Child Poverty Action Group (Aotearoa New Zealand) (CPAG) is a non-profit political advocacy group with the goal of eliminating Child poverty in New Zealand. It has used evidence-based research to deve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Poverty_Action_Group_(Ao…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gloriavale Christian Community is a small and isolated community located at Haupiri on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand. It had a recorded population of roughly 468 as of the 2023…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloriavale_Christian_Community

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 10: “These differences can also begin before birth, with lower use of prenatal care in later pregnancies.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

help

Claim 11: “Previous studies have found later-born children are breastfed at lower rates and are less likely to attend health checks and receive childhood immunisations.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

verified

Claim 12: “The maternal antibodies are also transferred to the baby and help protect them.”

VERIFIED

Authoritative medical evidence from PMC and ScienceDirect confirms that maternal antibodies are transferred from mother to child to protect neonates and infants.

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web search NEUTRAL — Maternal antibodies are transferred from mother to child and protect neonates and infants during the time of maturation of their immune system. The vast ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4165321/

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 11, 2026 ... Maternal vaccination increases the pool of pathogen-specific IgG available for fetal transfer, protecting mothers and conferring passive ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X2…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... Maternal vaccines help protect babies from day one. When expecting mothers receive recommended vaccines during pregnancy, critical antibodies ...
https://www.facebook.com/AmerAcadPeds/posts/maternal-vaccine…

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Claim 13: “New Zealand has already been moving in this direction by expanding the settings where immunisation can be delivered, including pharmacies and community midwives.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 14: “Maternal vaccination during pregnancy helps boost babies’ protection.”

VERIFIED

Multiple medical sources (PMC, ScienceDirect) confirm that maternal vaccination increases pathogen-specific IgG available for fetal transfer, which protects the infant.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Maternal is a British medical drama television drama series created by Jacqui Honess-Martin. The series began broadcast on ITV on 16 January 2023, as well as on ITVX. [1][2] The show was cancelled aft…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_(TV_series)

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of MATERNAL is of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of a mother : motherly. How to use maternal in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maternal

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web search NEUTRAL — MATERNAL definition: 1. behaving or feeling in the way that a mother does towards her child, especially in a kind…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/maternal

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.