sir_eccles

Looks like a big outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough) in California.

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR10-041.aspx

This is an entirely preventable disease that can kill children. Please vaccinate.

SpoogleDrummer

I was surprised by this myself, the mother-in-law was worried about it and the wife started to panic but I was sure it was a common vaccination and that our kids were bound to of had it, yet she claimed they didn't. A quick check of their records showed I was right and the panic was over. The only vaccine we haven't had for them is swine flu and that was only because their doctor had ran out.

Cape Blue

I had whooping cough as a child and was smugly thinking I was golden - until I saw the bit that said:
Bugger - another reason to keep away from people's foul offspring.

kins

All the children who've died so far were under 3 months, so would only have had one dose of the vaccine at most. Some would not have had time to even have their first dose.

Vaccinate your kids so that newborns don't die...

Mummy in the foothills

It's being passed to small babies by adults who are no longer immune. and under three months may have only had one dose or non yet depending on the child and doctor.
I think telling adults with any cough to say away from small babies is a better idea.

mellybrown

I been watching ads all day on tv about it. I had whooping cough when I Was 14 - I got to have 3 months of school and didnt have to do PE for the whole year On the negative side the dr said it was the worst case he had ever seen and wanted to film me for a training video.....

Gingerert

Did you do it?

zargof

And more importantly is it on the Internet, so we can all go watch?

kins

But still, getting every child vaccinated helps because then adults won't catch it from their children.

Mummy in the foothills

That makes no sense, many of the babies were only 3 months or younger. Too young to get the vax, so it's either re vax the adults or stay away from babies if you have a cough so you don't infect them. It is the babies catching it from the adults.

kins

I'm not talking about vaccinating the babies, I'm talking about vaccinating their brothers, sisters, friends and everyone else who might come into contact with either them or the adults who care for them.

mellybrown

hah no I did not - all I remember is that I had to be at the drs surgery every other day and had one of those portable breathing mask thingys set up in my bedroom - I was actually popular in school for a while!!! My younger sister had it first and gave it to me - I was at school coughing on people for a week before they diagnosed me - could have been an epidemic

We never had the vaccine, but after going through it I will be certainly vaccinating my children against it!!

Gingerert

That's a damn shame. I was looking forward to watching that!

Little O has been vaccinated up to the eyeballs this last year - his condition and prematurity meant he not only received routine shots, but also seasonal flu, H1N1, AND Synagis - which protects against RSV-related infections.

Despite all this, he had an immunology study done last month and they found his body had not responded to the tetunus or pneumonia vaccines and he had no antibodies to them. Didn't really come as a shocker, to be frank, as the kid's already had three bouts on pneumonia in his first year on Earth. Anyway, they gave him some booster shots and are checking again for antibodies in a couple of weeks. Moral of the story? You can vaccinate and vaccinate and vaccinate, but sometimes they don't take. And ya can't blame anyone for THAT.

Whooping cough is a nasty one though. Golly.