Whooping Cough...

[cath_b]

is declared an epidemic here in California. I was wondering why the sudden Ads about whopping cough on tv. Whooping cough case loads is 400% higher than last year.

This is highly contagious, please stay safe.

P.S.
Moderators please feel free to move this thread if it belongs elsewhere.

[wellyes]

I saw that story. Five babies under 3 months old dead. Horrible, horrible.
I never realized pertussis is a summer disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/24cough.html?scp=2&sq=pertussis&st=cse

What's awful is that there is a vaccine against this - obviously not for children that young, but for the people around them (it's highly contagious). The article mentions that vaccination wanes in adulthood. It makes me wonder if there is a booster they could be giving out.

[cath_b]

I saw that story. Five babies under 3 months old dead. Horrible, horrible.
I never realized pertussis is a summer disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/24cough.html?scp=2&sq=pertussis&st=cse

What's awful is that there is a vaccine against this - obviously not for children that young, but for the people around them (it's highly contagious). The article mentions that vaccination wanes in adulthood. It makes me wonder if there is a booster they could be giving out.

Yes, there is a vaccine for it called D-TaP (Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis). The adult version of the vaccine is called T-dap. Whooping cough or pertussis is deadly for children under 12 months.

Nevada is concerned because of this epidemic.

[wendibird22]

Given that there are adult boosters I'm wondering why my obgyn wasn't recommending a booster for me and/or DH either time I was pregnant?

ETA: The CDC site indicates a 90% transmission rate...so if an older child or adult has it it is highly likely the entire family (if unvax) will get it.

[Snow mom]

Someone advised DH and me to get the booster when DD was an infant. I think it was the pedi, but it could have been my OB. I'm not sure if you can get the booster when pregnant. I agree that it is a good idea for a health care provider to mention this to families with young infants. We'll be in CA in July, and I was worried hearing the season is ramping up, but I guess DD should be well protected now that she's had 3 or 4 DTaP.

[wendibird22]

Someone advised DH and me to get the booster when DD was an infant. I think it was the pedi, but it could have been my OB. I'm not sure if you can get the booster when pregnant. I agree that it is a good idea for a health care provider to mention this to families with young infants. We'll be in CA in July, and I was worried hearing the season is ramping up, but I guess DD should be well protected now that she's had 3 or 4 DTaP.

DD2 has had 3 of the shots (2, 4, and 6mos) so I'm a little less concerned. Of course she had a wicked bad cough a few weeks ago (prior to her 6mo vax) and she's coughing just as the whooping cough PSA commercial is on tv and I'm thinking OMG! Way to freak a mama out! Not sure what the incident rate is here in NY but our ped's office did say they were seeing it locally.

[cath_b]

Someone advised DH and me to get the booster when DD was an infant.

My OB advised both DH and I to get the vaccine to protect DS who was a newborn at the time. I was told to get the vaccine after DS was born.

[Reina]

I am freaking out about this too. Our pediatrician told us to watch out for pertussis because there has been a serious surge in the cases they started seeing lately. We are concerned because DS cannot be vaccinated for another 9 months for anything. (not by choice. due to treatment of an autoimmune disease.)
So we have to be ultra careful. Therefore, we need to be a little less social especially with other kids, we need to shop online more and shop at b&m stores a little less and we need to kindly decline most parties that we get invited to. I even had to cut back from my gym time because there are a couple of families with kids that work out at my gym whose kids are always sick (and so are the parents). But c'est la vie... Hopefully this pertussis outbreak will get under control soon.

[MamaSnoo]

We were fortunate that the hospital where I delivered offered the TDAP to post-partum moms prior to discharge with the newborn. I think DH went to his employee health office to get it.

In general, most healthy adults should be able to find it at a health dept, even if your PCP does not offer it.

[BabyBearsMom]

I got my T-Dap at the hospital before I was discharged. My midwife told my husband to get it as soon as I got pregnant. He got it from his PCP as part of his annual physical. Pertussis is scary stuff!

[YouAreTheFocus]

I got my T-Dap at the hospital before I was discharged.

Me too. They just came around with the needle as if it were a routine thing. Husband got it soon after. Baby is almost 9 mos, so he has had all three. I'm still concerned, though, since we are in CA AND baby is in daycare AND I have read having the vaccine is not a 100% guarantee. Sigh.

[Katigre]

Here is the CDC's article on Pertussis - it's very thorough and informative. (Not about the current epidemic but about the pathology of the disease and the vaccine)

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/pert.pdf

[thelilprincess]

It is recommended that children get five doses of DTaP vaccine, one dose at 2 mo., 4 mo., 6 mo., 15-18 mo., and 4-6 years of age. It is also recommended that people 11- 64 years of age receive a one-time dose of Tdap, given in place of a “tetanus booster,” which is administered every 10 years. (tetanus booster is just the Td booster done every 10 years - no pertussis in that one so a Tdap booster one time will cover you)

[Kestrel]

Vaccines were part of our "pre-conception" appointment. D-Tap and MMR boosters for both mom and dad to-be.

We just had a measles outbrake in Vancouver, BC Canada this winter (about 60 miles from my home). Very scary stuff.

Scary that they werern't mentioned to other moms to be.