THE Scottish Government has intervened in a row between GPs and midwives about who should give pregnant women the whooping cough vaccine, saying family doctors should do the job.

Midwives have been reluctant to administer the injection at antenatal appointments, amid worries about the increased workload and how this will impact on other support they provide for patients.

GPs have raised concerns that this means an opportunity to vaccinate expectant mothers is lost, warning some women may not keep separate appointments to get the injection.

This could leave unborn babies unprotected from the whooping cough outbreak, which is sweeping the UK and has killed more than 10 infants in England and Wales.

The issue is due to be raised at a British Medical Association conference in Glasgow next Friday, with GPs calling for the Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns to make sure all relevant staff are obliged to administer the vaccine.

Cases of whooping cough began rising in the UK in the spring of last year, and the number of patients suffering symptoms notified by GPs reached 2029 in 2012, a rise of more than 2000% on the previous year. Among those who fell ill were 134 babies aged under 12 months.

Figures just released show a further 332 patients have been diagnosed with the condition since the start of this year.

Whooping cough begins when a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis infects the lining of the airways and causes mucus to build. The mucus triggers intense bouts of coughing as the body tries to expel it.

The airways also swell, making them narrower than usual and resulting, among children, in the "whoop" sound as they gasp for breath after a bout of coughing. Their small respiratory systems mean they can develop complications including pneumonia and brain damage, which can be fatal.

Experts recommended in September that pregnant women should be vaccinated against whooping cough in order to offer their baby some protection from birth.

Babies are immunised against whooping cough over the course of three injections, starting at eight weeks of age.

Speaking about the row over vaccine delivery, Jackie Baillie, health spokeswoman for Scottish Labour, said: "We need to put the best interests of the pregnant woman and child first here. We should find a solution that works for them.

"It makes sense that whoever offers the vaccine should receive the funding to do so.

"It is important that the arrangements in place continue to be monitored to make sure that pregnant women and their babies do not miss out on this important protection."