Lots of Whooping cough around!

[Justadad]

I'm reading in the news that they are offering pregnant women whooping cough vaccine because there has been an outbreak and babies have died. That's very sad and it may be because people are afraid to immunize nowadays?

 

[Victor]

It may be, but the pertussis vaccine has very low efficacy. In this particular case, vaccination does little to stop the disease from spreading, but it does lessen severity and that can be crucial, particularly when infants catch it.

My wife wasn't vaccinated for it while pregnant, but they gave her the shot while she was recovering in the hospital.

 

[Bear]

Isn't whooping cough one of the standard vaccines kids get in the first two years of life? I am pretty sure my kids have been vaccinated, but I know that there is an outbreak here as well.

 

[Justadad]

I'm almost certain that it's part of the triple vaccination young babies have, but mothers have been opting out because someone claimed that part of this vaccine could cause autism. In my view, they should offer the vaccines singly in this case.

 

[Jatelo2]

And what is this that makes people to fear vaccination? It is at times amusing how people neglect important health issues, only to run for the services at the last minute!

 

[Victor]

Yes, children are typically vaccinated for pertussis at 2, 4, and 6 months. It's the "p" of the Dtap vaccination.

The people I know who do not vaccinate don't cite autism as a concern.

 

[Lorenzo]

Thank goodness, there are no signs of whooping cough in the family. All my kids have been vaccinated with Dtap. Although their pediatrician said that the vaccine alone does not guarantee they would be a hundred percent immune, we can still heave a big sigh of relief knowing they are protected somehow.