Re: Whooping cough
 

I don't believe that people don't vaccinate purely because they believe diseases are no longer a threat, they don't vaccinate because they're worried about the side effects. Stories of brain damage, gut disorders, autism, death are rife.

Re: Whooping cough
 

Exactly. Its the side effects which have to be weighed up. I'm not even prepared to go near a flu vaccination, and while that may be irrational when my original reaction was to whooping cough, it is all connected in my mind to the thought of it being a vaccination and thus having side effects. Nothing to do with whether the illness/disease in question still exists, and the people that I know who are anti-vaccine feel the same. We all know the diseases are there, but are we willing to run the risk of what may come with the vaccination?

Re: Whooping cough
 

Uh huh yer all gonna die,shit yeah:(

Re: Whooping cough
 

I had the MMR 6 years ago and 12 hours later started to get a fluttering in my chest/upper abdomen. Checked my pulse, and it was skipping a beat. Had issues ever since on and off with it. Coincidence?

Re: Whooping cough
 

They believe that the threat from the vaccine is higher than the threat of the diseases they protect you from. An incorrect belief.

Some (very, very few) people do have medical reasons why they can't/shouldn't vaccinate, these people rely on herd immunity so they don't get sick. Once vaccination levels drop below something like 92% outbreaks can happen which we are starting to see in some communities where the anti-vaxers are successfully scaring enough people.

Re: Whooping cough
 

My husband had a Tdap in 2002 (work requirement). He had pertussis this past March, so less than 8 years' effectiveness. He brought it home and gave it to our son, 23 months old at the time. Our son actually fared well and recovered much quicker (and without complications) than my husband did, who coughed for about 8 weeks.

The website sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur (and promoting Adacel, one of the boosters used for older children and adults) says that it does not know if the vaccine prevents transmission of pertussis to infants, so there's a lot of adults getting boosters to protect small children, yet curiously, the pharm. company itself does cite evidence that it can do so.

"It is unknown whether immunizing adolescents and adults against pertussis will reduce the risk of transmission to infants.3"

http://www.adacel-locator.com/index....E&P=HowS_pread

I know I've read a couple of studies in the past that highlight some of these issues. I don't think the vaccine is particularly effective at eliminating transmission to others.

http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/co...15/5/1254.full

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no5/srugo.htm (looking at the old whole cell vaccine)

I also read this the other day...

Changes in the genomic content of circulating Bordetella pertussis strains isolated from the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan and Australia: adaptive evolution or drift?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...7/?tool=pubmed

It's an interesting read...they noticed that the pertussis bacteria is undergoing gene loss, with a rapid rate of gene deletion that can be seen in many areas of the world. The authors note that with certain bacteria, gene loss may equal an increase in virulence.

They also noted a complete change in strains in the Netherlands, where strains that were circulating six decades ago cannot be found today and it's posited that this is another reason for the increase in the number of reported cases.

Also, the pertussis bacteria have adapted to live in older, previously vaccinated hosts:

Anyway...just some food for thought...with the vaccine apparently not completely reliable to prevent transmission and the bacteria evolving so noticeably (to spread easily through a vaccinated population), then it's not just a matter of the "anti-vaccine" crowd who are to blame for circulating pertussis.

Obviously, whatever people choose to do is their business. Sometimes the issue though is not completely black or white.

Re: Whooping cough
 

Time for Ozzydoc to appear me thinks. Come on Doc:thumbup:

.....and I'm still alive:lol:

Actually, after the guinness and pizza last night, only just:unsure:

Re: Whooping cough
 

:thumbup: Hey, is that the best diet for convalescing? :p

Re: Whooping cough
 

It was last night

Today's another story:unsure:

Re: Whooping cough
 

Outbreaks of disease happen in areas of full vaccination, not just in areas where low vaccination uptake exists.
For example, the Irish measles outbreak of a few years ago, most of those affected were vaccinated. Most of the children who died in that outbreak were vaccinated.
The levels of affected children may have been higher, just parents of affected children may have assumed their child didn't have measles because they'd been vaccinated. To have accurate representation, the child has to be seen by a doctor who reports it. For it to be accurate, the doctor has to have correctly diagnosed and for many children, symptoms which define the disease may not exist by the time the doctor sees them. It's not a precise science.

Re: Whooping cough
 

Great post Japonica. Thanks for the links.

Re: Whooping cough
 

Do you have any credible sources and references to back this up? I simply don't believe it.

Re: Whooping cough
 

I used to have a lot of info on it, med publications etc. I got rid of them all when I emigrated as there was quite a lot of it. I'm sure you could google it if you want to verify it.

Re: Whooping cough
 

This is a very interesting read:

http://www.whale.to/a/blaylock.html

Re: Whooping cough
 

WE have now had our pertussis vaccination. Fine the first evening. Now our arms BLOODY hurt!! Like being permanently given a dead arm.

Thanks for the links Japonica. Interesting reading.......