NYT briefly discusses pertussis and herd immunity

[carriebft]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/he...tml?ref=health

It is interesting that this is the study that has finally changed the line on herd immunity and pertussis in the media...yet even in the body of the study and the AAP article the authors still talk about the necessity of the herd for pertussis

[Gitti]

Since vaccines can not prevent transmission, there is no way to gain herd immunity of whooping cough.

Also, how long does the vaccine "protect" each individual? And as soon as it runs out, is there a sound that chimes?

Pretty much the same goes for all vaccines. We just don't have any way of knowing when the protection runs out in each vaccinee.

Herd immunity can only be realized through natural infection of the majority of people, like was the case with measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and others, in my generation.

They ruined that. There was no profit in it.

[carriebft]

even natural infection with whooping cough does not confer lifelong immunity:

http://journals.lww.com/pidj/Abstrac..._After.11.aspx