Whooping Cough Outbreak in CA

[mkmoro311]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...198775&ps=cprs

I'm so tired of hearing about this! And the fact that they mention adults need to get boosters every 10 yrs, give me a break!

Is it really an outbreak, or the same amout of kids who always get it just now they are recording it? And how many of those kids who have gotten it were vaxed. And how many of the infants who died had been fully vaxed? And how many of the kids who got it had previous medical problems which would leave them with vulnerable immune systems?

These articles always seem to leave out details like that!

[Fraurloth]

This is precisely why I don't have television in my home or read negative articles. Most times they aren't based on factual data, but pure emotion. Fueling people's emotions seems to be a pretty lucrative business now-a-days.

Most of the kids who get vaccinated still catch the disease or are given the disease through vaccination. And the majority who end up sick were properly vaccinated. Isn't it ironic.

[heathergirl67]

Originally Posted by mkmoro311

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...198775&ps=cprs

I'm so tired of hearing about this! And the fact that they mention adults need to get boosters every 10 yrs, give me a break!

Is it really an outbreak, or the same amout of kids who always get it just now they are recording it?

From reading the article it sounds like, yes, they have been recording it:

More than 2,700 cases have been reported so far this year — eight times last year's number at this point.

And how many of those kids who have gotten it were vaxed.

Pertussis vaccine is not expected to prevent infection. It's expected to decrease the severity of the illness.

And how many of the infants who died had been fully vaxed?

I'm guessing 0% because the series of shots isn't over until the child is school-aged.

And how many of the kids who got it had previous medical problems which would leave them with vulnerable immune systems?

These articles always seem to leave out details like that!

I don't know, but I really don't see how it would matter. The whole article is about protecting those who are most at risk: infants. I would guess that immune-compromised infants would need protection even more. People can argue about efficacy, herd immunity, etc. But I don't see the flaw in the article.

[mkmoro311]

I wasn't really meaning to flaw the article, just tired of the hype about it!

Is there a stat about how many adults get their 10 yr W booster? My last shots were for college, 15 yrs ago and I don't plan on any more!

Oh wait, I they did give me a Tentnus shot in the ER for spraining my ankle 10 yrs ago, WHY WHY WHY!

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by mkmoro311

I wasn't really meaning to flaw the article, just tired of the hype about it!

Is there a stat about how many adults get their 10 yr W booster? My last shots were for college, 15 yrs ago and I don't plan on any more!

Oh wait, I they did give me a Tentnus shot in the ER for spraining my ankle 10 yrs ago, WHY WHY WHY!

2.1 % of adults are up to date for Dtap.

The infants that died were all under 2 months old so were unvaccinated.

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immu...%20Release.pdf

Heathergirl - The Dtap seris is complete by 6 months old not school age. Boosters are not considiered a part of a series.

[Bokonon]

All of the babies who have died were Hispanic. I don't know the details, but my gut tells me that it's highly possible that these babies were born to undocumented immigrants who delayed getting treatment because of their immigration status and/or concerns about paying for the treatment.

I know that may sound horribly racist, but I think it's an important piece of information that the babies who died are all of the same race.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

All of the babies who have died were Hispanic. I don't know the details, but my gut tells me that it's highly possible that these babies were born to undocumented immigrants who delayed getting treatment because of their immigration status and/or concerns about paying for the treatment.

I know that may sound horribly racist, but I think it's an important piece of information that the babies who died are all of the same race.

I don't think it's racist. It is an important peice of information that we unfortunately do not have access to. We can only speculate, which, in debates like this, only seem to further the divide KWIM??

[Sileree]

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/...and-the-media/

These sorts of articles are propaganda disguised as "news" articles.

[Pirogi]

I heard this story when it ran on the radio. Quite frustrating!

One thing I had not heard before was the claim that this year's outbreak is the worst on record in 40 (50?) years. Anybody know if this is true? Of course, 40 years isn't that long ago in terms of how long humans and bacteria have been coexisting, but still. Anybody have any information on this claim?

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Pirogi

I heard this story when it ran on the radio. Quite frustrating!

One thing I had not heard before was the claim that this year's outbreak is the worst on record in 40 (50?) years. Anybody know if this is true? Of course, 40 years isn't that long ago in terms of how long humans and bacteria have been coexisting, but still. Anybody have any information on this claim?

What they are saying for California is that if the current trend continues, they may see the most reported cases in the last 40-50 years. Pertussis has been a reportable disease since 1922, although back then they didn't have to lab testing, so it was diagnosed based on symptoms alone.

[samuel's mama]

Didn't get a chance to read all these posts but thought I would add NVIC's take on the pertussis outbreaks in California:

This article/video is a MUST READ/LISTEN! "Using Fear and Prejudice to Attack Vaccine Exemptions" accurate and misleading information about B. pertussis whooping cough and the pertussis vaccine is being communicated by medical doctors.

http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-New...Exemption.aspx

And another article a bit older from NVIC:

http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-New...-Failures.aspx

[Otto]

Originally Posted by mkmoro311

I'm so tired of hearing about this! And the fact that they mention adults need to get boosters every 10 yrs, give me a break!

As I understand it, the current Tdap shot is a one-time affair, with Td alone recommended for further 10-year boosters.

[mkmoro311]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

All of the babies who have died were Hispanic. I don't know the details, but my gut tells me that it's highly possible that these babies were born to undocumented immigrants who delayed getting treatment because of their immigration status and/or concerns about paying for the treatment.

I know that may sound horribly racist, but I think it's an important piece of information that the babies who died are all of the same race.

Thank you for this info, I was wondering about these details. When the H1N1was all the hype last year I always wondered what the stats were for the children who cought the virus. If anyone has this info I would love to see it as well!

[Toolip]

Originally Posted by Otto

As I understand it, the current Tdap shot is a one-time affair, with Td alone recommended for further 10-year boosters.

there is a BIG push right now for adults to get standard Tdap boosters instead of td alone.

[Pirogi]

Ah, thanks for the clarification, Marnica! I should have known, with all the other inconsistensies and nonsense in the story, that there was more to this claim that they were letting on. Still, it should be interesting to see how the numbers finally play out for the year.

[poppan]

I heard (a different?) NPR piece on my drive home last night. It may have been more local to California and talked about how they were offering free Tdap shots to adults. The funny thing is the piece ended with how some of the vaccines were ineffective due to improper storage... i.e. it's not the vaccine's fault if it doesn't work?? Or maybe they were saying you should get a second shot just in case your first one was "bad", dunno...

[lunamegn]

What I've been wondering is how many of the people who had pertussis were vaccinated?

Also, in regards to the babies, were they breastfed babies or not?

I just don't feel like I'm getting the full picture on this. It's like, state these basic facts and then push everyone to vaccinate. I understand the need to protect the most vulnerable, the infants, but if the vaccines don't even really work that well and people still catch it eventhough it's milder - what does that mean? The infants who might get it then are going to catch a milder case?

[Angela512]

Originally Posted by heathergirl67

Pertussis vaccine is not expected to prevent infection. It's expected to decrease the severity of the illness.

I'm guessing 0% because the series of shots isn't over until the child is school-aged. I don't know, but I really don't see how it would matter. The whole article is about protecting those who are most at risk: infants. I would guess that immune-compromised infants would need protection even more. People can argue about efficacy, herd immunity, etc. But I don't see the flaw in the article.

So, everyone should get vaccinated so that infants, who are not vaccinated and are at a higher risk category, are safe. But, the vaccine is not meant to prevent transmission or infection...just severity. But, also, infants cannot be "fully vaxed" for this disease until later in life...when it's not so serious anymore.

And...people are surprised that infants still got sick/died? Really? If the vaccine cannot prevent transmission, but does decrease the severity of the illness...how is this helping anyone? You go around completely contagious thinking you just have a cold instead of showing the tell tale signs of whooping cough. I mean, if I get a bad cold, I don't go running to my doctor. If my child gets a bad cold, I don't go running to the doc. If my child starts whooping, I know for sure to begin a treatment regimen and quarantine the child...anyone think that the massive outbreak, regardless of vax status, is highly likely due to affected people walking around spreading this illness and not even realizing it?

Not to mention that the illness itself peaks every 4 years or so...the last outbreak (around here) was 3 1/2 years ago. I'm sure it'll go around again, soon.

[karika]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

All of the babies who have died were Hispanic. I don't know the details, but my gut tells me that it's highly possible that these babies were born to undocumented immigrants who delayed getting treatment because of their immigration status and/or concerns about paying for the treatment.

I know that may sound horribly racist, but I think it's an important piece of information that the babies who died are all of the same race.

I wonder how many of the mothers were given shots while pregnant? and what was in the shots (I am not convinced it is always what 'they' say it is)? What sort of medical interventions did they get at birth.... It seems the industry loves to use poor, other than white populations for the experiments. Maybe they were given H1N1 vax or a booster for something while pregnant....

[karika]

Originally Posted by Angela512

So, everyone should get vaccinated so that infants, who are not vaccinated and are at a higher risk category, are safe. But, the vaccine is not meant to prevent transmission or infection...just severity. But, also, infants cannot be "fully vaxed" for this disease until later in life...when it's not so serious anymore.

And...people are surprised that infants still got sick/died? Really? If the vaccine cannot prevent transmission, but does decrease the severity of the illness...how is this helping anyone? You go around completely contagious thinking you just have a cold instead of showing the tell tale signs of whooping cough. I mean, if I get a bad cold, I don't go running to my doctor. If my child gets a bad cold, I don't go running to the doc. If my child starts whooping, I know for sure to begin a treatment regimen and quarantine the child...anyone think that the massive outbreak, regardless of vax status, is highly likely due to affected people walking around spreading this illness and not even realizing it?

Not to mention that the illness itself peaks every 4 years or so...the last outbreak (around here) was 3 1/2 years ago. I'm sure it'll go around again, soon.