Let's talk about Whooping Cough!

[tribalmax]

So what are your best arguments about why our non vaxed kids are safe from whooping cough?

I don't personally feel pressured but don't have my best info and stats at the tip of my fingers right now.

What do you tell well meaning friends and family who are worried?

Thanks!

[MyBoysBlue]

I don't think my non vaxed kids are safe from WC. As in I don't expect them to never get it. I think it's very likely that if they are exposed to it they may get it. I just believe that if they do get it, it can be treated, and isn't very dangerous after 6 months old. Unlike a bad vaccine reation.

[Angela512]

Originally Posted by tribalmax

So what are your best arguments about why our non vaxed kids are safe from whooping cough?

I don't personally feel pressured but don't have my best info and stats at the tip of my fingers right now.

What do you tell well meaning friends and family who are worried?

Thanks!

As the person mentioned above. I think people are mistaken in the thought that vaccinating for Whopping Cough (Pertussis) will make their child "immune"...so far, it is only suppose to decrease the severity of the cough.

I'm not worried about my child(ren) get WC. It is totally treatable. What is in my favor is that they'll have the symptoms of WC and be treated accordingly...as opposed to have less severe symptoms of a highly contagious bacteria and be misdiagnosed and sent back out as if they have a "bad cold"...further infecting other people.

What do I tell well meaning friends and family? That I have not found any proof that the Pertussis vaccine has more benefits than risks. I know I can treat WC with the right "stuff". Vaccine damage? Not so much.

[japonica]

Honestly, nobody is safe from pertussis. We've posted so many studies and articles on here over the years. The vax doesn't prevent transmission, recently vaccinated children are colonized and infected. Babies who do not complete the series aren't perceived to have the "full benefit" of vaccine-derived immunity. Sanofi Pasteur says in its ads that it doesn't know if giving boosters to adults and teens will ensure the bacteria is not transmitted to babies. Plus...the vaccine cannot provide mucosal immunity, the artifically-derived immunity wanes after 5-10 years (if that), and I enoy reading the stats in medical journals of how many of the pertussis cases were in fully vaccinated individuals.

Oh and the pertussis bacteria is evolving, due in part to vaccination programs.

So, given all that, I don't think even parents whose children have been vaccinated can say with 100% surety that they are "safe" from pertussis.

We've just been through pertussis here. My DH (who had a booster in 2002) brought it home to us this past March. He coughed the longest and had the worst of it--about 2 months all together. My 23 month old DS caught it--complete with the whooping and vomiting--and recovered uneventfully in about 4 weeks (from time of his first symptom)...and it was completely manageable once we started treating it. My unvaccinated DD never got it at all. I had pertussis in my teens and must have had some residual immunity...I had a dry cough for a couple of days and that was it.

I don't worry about it...never have. And our family and friends heard about it after the fact..."Oh, yeah, we didn't see you for 3 weeks because DS had whooping cough...no biggie...he's fine...so are we still on for that BBQ this weekend?"

[ema-adama]

As PP have pointed out, no one is safe from pertussis. It's more an issue of the vaccine not being that effective (japonica covered why).

If you are not immune, and you are exposed, there is a good chance you will get it. The question is how sick you or your LO will get. In the majority of cases children over 6 months recover just fine. Not everyone does, and it can be quite unpleasant from what I have read. I had it when I was 5 years old and was not in bed sick. I just had a whoop at the end of my cough that was not uncomfortable from what I remember. Yes, anecdotal, however there is evidence that on a population level it is not dangerous for most people, but it poses a real threat for little babies.

[Dixielane]

do you no vax moms feel totally comfortable not vaxing for pertussis esp. when you have an infant under 6mo? (since the above poster said it is more dangerous for those under 6mo)

[japonica]

Well, considering neither of my kids have had any vaxes and they were both under 6 months at one time, then I suppose the answer is yes, right. I wasn't thrilled about it but I wasn't panicking either and keeping them both under house arrest until they got past the 6 month mark. I reminded myself that even if I had decided to vaccinate them, the series would not be complete (and be seen to provide full protection) until after 6 months of age anyway.

[Dixielane]

Originally Posted by japonica

Well, considering neither of my kids have had any vaxes and they were both under 6 months at one time, then I suppose the answer is yes, right. I wasn't thrilled about it but I was panicking either and keeping them both under house arrest until they got past the 6 month mark. I remember that even if I had decided to vaccinate them, they series would not be complete (and be seen to provide full protection) until after 6 months of age anyway.

By house arrest, do you mean you really didn't go anywhere, or were just careful in where you went, or limited it?

[japonica]

Sorry, it was a typo on my lame joke...I wasn't keeping them under house arrest. I took them out all the usual places, but then I also avoided obviously sick people ("Don't mind me, I just have this cough I can't get rid of") and large crowds (I've never been someone to bring a 2 day-old to the mall during flu season). Aside from that, it was life as usual for us. Statistically, IF they did get pertussis, it was likely that they would contract it from family members, so unless I decided to cut off all family contact until they reached a certain age (imagine telling my inlaws that they couldn't see the new baby for a year!), then staying in (but allowing visitors) wouldn't help much. And as the manufacturer states, they don't even know if vaxing those contacts will prevent transmission of the bacteria.

Okay, back to correct my typo in my old post and grab a coffee...can't believe I've been up for an hour already without it...yikes.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by MyBoysBlue

I don't think my non vaxed kids are safe from WC. As in I don't expect them to never get it. I think it's very likely that if they are exposed to it they may get it. I just believe that if they do get it, it can be treated, and isn't very dangerous after 6 months old. Unlike a bad vaccine reation.

I agree.
Also, my ds had WC at 2yo and he was VAXED--he only had the proximal coughing mainly at night; I had it also (complete with the whooping and vomiting) and I was also VAXED.

Originally Posted by Dixielane

do you no vax moms feel totally comfortable not vaxing for pertussis esp. when you have an infant under 6mo? (since the above poster said it is more dangerous for those under 6mo)

I just took sodium ascorbate when they had the sniffles; they did not have serious colds until 3-4 years old.

[cocoanib]

Originally Posted by MyBoysBlue

I don't think my non vaxed kids are safe from WC. As in I don't expect them to never get it. I think it's very likely that if they are exposed to it they may get it. I just believe that if they do get it, it can be treated, and isn't very dangerous after 6 months old. Unlike a bad vaccine reation.

[PinkinPA]

do you no vax moms feel totally comfortable not vaxing for pertussis esp. when you have an infant under 6mo? (since the above poster said it is more dangerous for those under 6mo)

Absolutely! If my children were vaccinated and they had the WC and I weren't aware of the true symptoms, how could I properly treat the illness and take proper precautions?

If I were to take an sick child with just a "bad cough or cold" symptoms, how likely would proper treatment and diagnosis be?