Whooping Cough Vaccine

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     In the 1920’s and 30’s, whooping cough (pertussis) caused from 125,000 to over 250,000 deaths every year. An epidemic could devastate an entire community. After the introduction of pertussis vaccine in the 1940’s the number of cases of pertussis decreased dramatically and deaths from whooping cough dropped to around 5,000 a year. However, since 2001, the number of cases of pertussis has increased, especially in older children. Before 2005, less than 10% of pertussis cases nationwide occurred in children ages 7 to 10. This year, nearly 40% of the cases are in this older age group. One of the factors may be that in the 1990's a weaker vaccine was introduced to decrease swelling and redness at the injection site and post-vaccine fever. The effectiveness of this vaccine has been found to decrease each year after it is given so that older children and adults lose protection without booster shots.

     In Washington state, 2,500 cases of pertussis were reported from January 2012 to June 2012. This is 3 times the rate of whooping cough reported for that time period last year. Experts are investigating reasons for this increase. The effectiveness of the vaccine if definitely a factor, but it needs to be considered that the Pacific Northwest has a strong anti-vaccine culture. Vaccinations are delayed, given on alternative schedules or simply not given at all. This results in a decrease in the general immunity of the community. When there are more cases of pertussis in a community – even mild cases – there is more exposure to pertussis for the people who are vulnerable to severe disease. Infants should receive their first pertussis vaccine at 2 months of age but don’t develop strong immunity until they have received boosters. What protects these infants is the pertussis immunity of the people around them – parents, siblings and caretakers.  With poor community immunity, very young, unvaccinated infants are 8 times more likely to become infected with pertussis and these infants are the ones who have the greatest risk of death from pertussis.
     Almost every medical procedure and medication involves some degree of risk. For any child who experiences a complication from a vaccine, it is a disaster. However, the small risk of complications from vaccines is greatly overshadowed by the complications and deaths that would return if vaccines were not given. Time has erased the painful cries of the parents who watched their children die during pertussis, diphtheria and polio epidemics.