Posted on 05/11/2012 8:18:08 PM PDT by JerseyanExile
Washington state’s worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic, seek help from federal experts and urge residents to get vaccinated amid worry that cases of the highly contagious disease could spike much higher.
It’s the first state to declare a whooping cough, or pertussis, epidemic since 2010, when California had more than 9,000 cases, including 10 deaths. Washington has had 10 times the cases reported in 2011, and so has Wisconsin with nearly 2,000 cases this year, though that state has not declared an epidemic.
California responded to its crisis two years ago with a public information campaign, readily available vaccines and a new law requiring a booster shot for middle- and high-school students. Doctors were urged to spot whooping cough early, send infected babies to the hospital and promptly treat those diagnosed. In 2011, the number of cases there dropped significantly.
State officials have asked hospitals to vaccinate every adult who goes home with a new baby, and urged businesses to encourage their employees to get the adult booster shot. Washington already requires a booster shot for middle- and high-school students.
Last week, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced the state is putting $90,000 into a public awareness campaign and diverting some federal money to pay for 27,000 doses of vaccine. The state has also asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to send a special team of investigators and an epidemiologist to the Washington.
Adults and teens need booster shots so they don’t give pertussis to the babies in their lives, said CDC spokeswoman Alison Patti.
Until routine child vaccination became widespread in the 1940s, pertussis caused thousands of fatalities each year in the United States. In recent weeks, infants in New Mexico and Idaho have died from the disease.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Just had a tetanus and pertussis shot this week..wow it seems weird that these diseases are coming back...I don’t recall anyone ever having whooping cough when I was growing up
unscreened, infected, illegal immigration is literally going to kill a lot of us
I wondered why at every pharmacy I see get your whooping cough shots here. I guess my husband and I better go get them.
That’s the Truth! Our borders are being illegally crossed with a plethora of disease. When you take into account the large numbers of “other than Mexican” crossing, we can expect to see a rise in this disease as well as T.B. and other exotic crap...
That’s because we all got our shots. I am old enough that when I was going to school we all lined up and the school nurse gave us all the shots we needed. Now with all the illegals coming in who don’t get them TB and lots of things are coming back that once was eradicated.
Ping!
I wonder where this “epidemic” came from? LOL! There were reasons that our fathers and grandfathers did certain things when adults were running this country and it had nothing to do with “racism” or “racial profiling”. Political correctness is going to kill all of us.
While the vaccine had previously been recommended as a one-time booster for adults up to age 64, replacing an individual tetanus booster, the committee voted to expand that recommendation: anyone older than 65 who had not received a prior dose of Tdap should receive one if they expected to have close contact with an infant younger than 12 months old.
Grandparents: Study data has indicated that grandparents, for example, are the ultimate source of the infection in 6-8% of cases. However, the committee noted that there was a direct benefit to the individual as well, since whooping cough tends to be more severe in adults older than 65 than in younger adults.
It's time for our booster shot.
"PNEUMOVAX 23 is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the prevention of pneumococcal disease caused by the 23 serotypes contained in the vaccine." i.e., you get a lot of protection against pneumonia. The CDC recommends it for All people aged 65 and older.
"Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a bacterial pathogen that affects children and adults worldwide. It is a leading cause of illness in young children and causes illness and death among the elderly and persons who have certain underlying medical conditions."
An ounce of prevention. .
How about if you actually had WC as a younker?? Does that yield a more permanent immunity??
Can you get pertussis more than once?
Reinfection appears to be uncommon but does occur. With natural infection, immunity to pertussis will likely wane as soon as seven years following disease; reinfection may present as a persistent cough, rather than typical pertussis.
Just what I was thinking. I guess Washington State and CA will both reap many diseases that were previously wiped out, simply because they are letting in as many diseased ridden illegals as they can and giving shelter to them.
"Neither vaccination nor natural infection with pertussis guarantees lifelong protective immunity against pertussis. Since immunity decreases after five to ten years from the last pertussis vaccine dose, older children, adolescents and adults are at risk of becoming infected with pertussis and need vaccination."
Thanks, guys. Looks like I need to drag my ass down for the shot. The bout of WC is one of the VERY few strong memories if my very early childhood (I suspect I was around 3-4 years old at the time). I need to re-up my tetanus anyway.
Is this one of those diseases that is always around, we just don’t see it because most people get vaccinated?
Some of my friends have new babies; I am around them often. I’m in late 50’s and had the vaccine as a kid, but nothing since. I wonder if I should get a booster? I have had a cough for months. I just thought it was allergies, but I wonder if it is something else?
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