Pertussis epidemic? But don't want to vaccinate

[AmandaBreanne]

I am in Sacramento, CA and there is an "epidemic" of Pertussis here. My dd is 3 months old and we have chosen to not vaccinate so far. However, i keep hearing people say that "babies die from Pertussis, but they don't die from getting the vaccine".
Any advice for not getting it?
I really want the best for my dd. Please help.

[ma2two]

This article might help to put things into perspective.
http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-New...-Failures.aspx

If your baby does catch pertussis, there is a very effective treatment that most doctors don't know about: sodium ascorbate, which is a type of vitamin C. I suggest you buy some now to have on hand, since the sooner it is started during the pertussis illness, the better.

Here is the brand that my family uses (it's not just for pertussis). http://www.iherb.com/NutriBiotic-Sod...&utm_medium=f2

[fruitfulmomma]

There have been less than 2000 confirmed cases in the whole state. (ETA: Per http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immu...rt20100630.pdf) That is about 0.005% of the population.

There have been 5 reported deaths of infants and all five of them were infants of Hispanic migrant farm workers. (Hello, CDC, maybe something else is going on here???)The death rate is about 0.25% of those who have a confirmed case.

Breastfeed your baby and stay out of places where children congregate would be my advice.

[BellaClaudia]

It is always good to keep things in perspective:

1. California's population is about as large as largest European countries:
36,961,664

2. Cases of Pertusis in California:
"As of June 15, California had 910 recorded cases of the highly contagious disease, and five babies — all under 3 months of age"

3. Number of children who died: 5.

Clearly and by far most of the children got better after having the desease. Interesting is that statistic does not show any conditions of children who died as it is possible that they had some pre-existing conditionds just as H1N1 was
affecting differently those with them as healthy individuals.

4. All cases are among hispanic immigrant workers.

5. California climate's specific is that nights are chilly all year round even in summer, especially in San Diego County where most cases are.

6. San Diego County is bordering with Mexico.

http://www.cefnortherncalifornia.com...=420&width=362

other and most curious facts:
"
Neither vaccine nor surviving the illness provides lifetime immunity. "

source:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...ng-cough_N.htm


Lastly... it is medical recommendation that new born is kept away from being taken to crowded places stores, malls etc.. for years and years and by books and books..

Recommendation is up to 2 to 6 mo depending on the book..

yet we all see new born babies being proudly sported around by proud parents days after beign born.

Smart parents do keep them away from crowds. This is defenetely very interesting preventive practice comes to lowering chances of contracting ANYTHING by a little child.

Lastly it is interesting to know wheather the babies who contracted the desease or died were breast fed as many of members of this forum had
first hand experience with their children either not contracting the very desease despite being not vacced and living in the same area where the epidemic is present and or and gtetting of it and over with without any complications.

It is commonly known fact that many low income hispanic mothers are pressed to work long hours for little wages and they are relaying on forumla not by choice but by life circumstances (working 16 - 18 hours a day.. employers not allowing to pump during the work hours etc..) therefore chances are that the cases of P. are within that population who does not have added benefits of breastfeeded strenght of the immunity system passed by mother with b. milk.

Furtermore some of us new parents by our nations-of origin traditons not knowing any better and with good intentions wraps and covers babies heavily in their carriers and those babies usually exibit signs of overheating and dehydration especially during hot summer contracting or difficulty of fighting with the infections.

lastly as stated in the link above:
Health officials say whooping cough is cyclical and tends to peak every two to five years.

such a statement could indicate that if the number of vacc. children is pretty much the same and yet the desease is cyclical then the vaccinations has little to do with the nature of the desease that just comes and goes as it pleases.


P.S.:



"The incidence of autism by age six in California has increased from fewer than nine in 10,000 for children born in 1990 to more than 44 in 10,000 for children born in 2000. "

http://autism.about.com/b/2009/01/09...avis-study.htm

and again as above:
2. Cases of Pertusis in California:
"As of June 15, California had 910 recorded cases of the highly contagious disease, and five babies died — all under 3 months of age"

3. Number of children who died: 5.

Bottom line is that 910 children got the P. , however 905 recovered from it this is still basis to call for epidemic status.

[OdinsMommy0409]

Just wanted to add supporter to a PP's comments. My closest friend's DD (6yo) is just recovering from pertussis. She had a fairly mild to moderate case with vomiting from the cough being her worst symptom (but no whoop). She treated her naturally at home with colloidal silver for its natural antibiotic effects and sodium asorbate. She has recovered very well, now has a very mild cough (like a post viral cough) and just had a negative swab test.

[Lauren31]

Originally Posted by OdinsMommy0409

Just wanted to add supporter to a PP's comments. My closest friend's DD (6yo) is just recovering from pertussis. She had a fairly mild to moderate case with vomiting from the cough being her worst symptom (but no whoop). She treated her naturally at home with colloidal silver for its natural antibiotic effects and sodium asorbate. She has recovered very well, now has a very mild cough (like a post viral cough) and just had a negative swab test.

5 babies is still a lot of babies!!! Also, a 6 yo is much different the the OPs 3 month old. Granted the efficacy of the vaccine is no where near 100% but it does make for a MUCH milder case of pertussis if the babies do contract it.

[~savah~]

First of all what does being an infant child of migrant workers have to do with the deadliness of pertussis? Do Hispanic immigrants somehow catch a stronger strain? Secondly five children is a lot when one of them happens to be your baby.

OP, I can understand your fears. When I was making the decision to vax DD or not pertussis was one of the main ones that I was considering. In the end we decided against all vaccinations, but I was worried about my DD until she turned six months. You just have to weigh the cost benefit factors of the vaccine against the disease itself. If you feel like getting the vaccine to protect your child then you should do so.

[carriebft]

it's actually 7 babies now.

ETA:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,598203,00.html

[OdinsMommy0409]

Originally Posted by Lauren31

5 babies is still a lot of babies!!! Also, a 6 yo is much different the the OPs 3 month old. Granted the efficacy of the vaccine is no where near 100% but it does make for a MUCH milder case of pertussis if the babies do contract it.

I mentioned the age specifically so that the OP would know in regards to her specific situation. My intended purpose was to provides support for natural healing. And, I never mentioned anything regarding the seriousness of pertussis or the loss of life. I certainly know five babies is one too many for any parent or family.

However, as the mother of a vaccine-injured child, I wanted to lend support to a mother that natural remedies do exist and that cases vary widely in their range of severity. While we cannot know how sick our own children may or may not become, I would hope that any of us choosing to delay, selective, or no vax are taking the steps to ensure that our immune systems are functioning to the best of their capabilities.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by sweetdaughter

First of all what does being an infant child of migrant workers have to do with the deadliness of pertussis? Do Hispanic immigrants somehow catch a stronger strain? Secondly five children is a lot when one of them happens to be your baby.

Migrant workers are less likely to receive good medical care.





I have asthma and other issues, my nephew has a chronic lung condition that is rather serious so I vaccinated my children for pertussis.

[Plaid Leopard]

I would imagine that the hispanic migrant workers who lost their babies may not have had access to health care or perhaps were living in less-than-ideal conditions.

[stiss]

*just* five babies? I believe it's up to seven now...but I suppose it's *just* seven babies. If *just* seven babies died after getting the pertussis vaccine, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be talk on the board about the *just* aspect of it. I guess it's that whole act of commision, act of ommision debate, huh?

Seven babies died. So far. What a terrible thing for those parent to go through. I didn't vaccinate against pertussis until my baby was much older, which now I realize probably wasn't all that useful, so I completely respect someone's decision to not vaccinate their child...but I find that dismissing the severity of what IS an increase in cases is in bad taste.

ETA: The migrant worker thing totally rubs me the wrong way, too. Making assumptions about their health-care access, living conditions, and socio-economic status is, well...also in bad taste, we'll say.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by stiss

ETA: The migrant worker thing totally rubs me the wrong way, too. Making assumptions about their health-care access, living conditions, and socio-economic status is, well...also in bad taste, we'll say.

Why?

Migrant workers do receive less medical care, that isn't a knock against migrants it is a terrible thing. It is something I am ashamed of.

http://www.ispub.com/journal/the_int...er_health.html

Migrant farmworkers are a vulnerable population in that many of the workers are undocumented and few, if any, have health insurance, which severely limits their access to medical care.

[carriebft]

http://www.omaha.com/article/2010071...NG01/100719969

research found that hispanics are not leading the way in case numbers but that more infants of latino/hispanic origin have been affected by the disease while, in older children, teens and adults, nonhispanics seem to have more cases.

it equals out in the end to rates equal to the population.

[carriebft]

another article I read postulated that the reason was not lack of medical care or access to vaccination but that hispanics are culturally different in the home environment.

http://www.pontealdia.com/columnists...h-victims.html

“Latinos have a very good vaccination rate, so it’s not that they are under-immunized generally,” said Chávez.

“Hispanics families tend to have more density, with more extended families living together,” he said. “Whooping cough is one of the most contagious diseases. It’s more likely to spread within the family circle with people living so close together.”

The position of California’s health department was questioned by Dr. Jane Delgado, president of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health in Washington, D.C. “I don’t understand their point. I mean, people gather around infants? Most people gather around infants,” she said.

However, Chávez’s hypothesis was supported by Dr. Elena Ríos, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association. “In Hispanic families, often both the mothers and the fathers are working. The babies are being handed off to different baby sitters or family members, dropping them off at their grandmother’s house,” Ríos said to Hispanic Link. “They’re not just in one room where it’s more likely to be free of exposure to other diseases, germs, bacteria.”

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by carriebft

another article I read postulated that the reason was not lack of medical care or access to vaccination but that hispanics are culturally different in the home environment.

http://www.pontealdia.com/columnists...h-victims.html

But that article doesn't address the simple issue of going to the Dr or when someone will decide to go to the ER.

My dd used to get croup quite a bit when she was younger, one time we did take her to the ER for a breathing treatement. We have insurance. I am sure the time difference of when I go to the Dr or ER is a lot different in families without insurance and who will likely be treated differently than me if they do go to the ER.

Just being able to afford to take a day off for a sick child is a luxury.

So non-hispanic children seem to be getting the illness with greater frequency but hispanic children are more likely to die.

The same thing happens with African Americans and Cancer.

In 2005, African American women were 10% less likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, however, they were 34% more likely to die from breast cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white women.

http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templa...t.aspx?ID=2826



Native Americans die younger than any other race in this country.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/403196_tribes12.html

[carriebft]

possible; I put that out there as something that is being looked at as the reasoning behind the lopsided case numbers and death ratio in infants of hispanic origin. it's not just that they have equal case numbers to non-hispanic whites. There are more cases in hispanic infants, so slow ER treatment or the like would not explain that fact, kwim?

It would be more possible as the reasoning if nonhispanic white and hispanic infants had the same case numbers and the hispanics were dying more often. but that isn't the case here. They are seeking a reason behind the larger case load to begin with. if I am making any sense here....

[carriebft]

I am not saying there is not a treatment gap here. I definitely agree with you, but I think there is something deeper going on.

When I look at the cancer issue, you see it plainly:less cases but more deaths and worse outcomes in women of african american decent. treatment comes to my mind immediately.


but here we have more cases in and of themselves in infants who are hispanic. Why is that? with more cases will come more deaths, especially when we are talking about infants and pertussis. treatment cannot be the only factor here. and why do the numbers even out later? and even lean nonhispanic white?

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by carriebft

I am not saying there is not a treatment gap here. I definitely agree with you, but I think there is something deeper going on.

When I look at the cancer issue, you see it plainly:less cases but more deaths and worse outcomes in women of african american decent. treatment comes to my mind immediately.


but here we have more cases in and of themselves in infants who are hispanic. Why is that? with more cases will come more deaths, especially when we are talking about infants and pertussis. treatment cannot be the only factor here. and why do the numbers even out later? and even lean nonhispanic white?

The article you linked said it was occuring with more frequency among caucasians

The county health department examined all 227 whooping cough cases reported this year through Thursday. Caucasians represented 43.6 percent of the cases, while Hispanics accounted for 42.7 percent. Blacks and Asians and Pacific Islanders each were under 5 percent of the cases. The percentages are roughly in proportion to Fresno County's population demographics

To me it is racism and access to health care.

[carriebft]

again (I keep responding as you add links here so sorry about the serial posting) but with the NA issue, again, we see that the numbers point to an incredible treatment gap. but again, what puzzles me about the pertussis statistics in california is that infants of hispanic/latino families are more likely to contract pertussis in the first place. then the numbers even out and begin to lean nonhispanic white as the years go on. doesn't that make you wonder why? can treatment be the only explanation?

if it is racism only; why do the numbers begin to lean nonhispanic white in later years?


again, don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in fighting for the equal treatment of minorities in this country (being married to one has only strengthened that resolve) and we have soooo far to go. but how can we save these babies if we don't figure out why they are being disproportionately affected by this disease? and not just one factor but all of them.