Pertussis & transmission?

[Devaskyla]

I have a dr on Twitter claiming that there was a study in Pediatrics in 2009 by research division Kaiser Colorado which "proved" the pertussis vax does prevent transmission. I find that completely unbelievable, given what the vax is actually for, but I thought I'd check & see if any of you have heard of it.

[Fyrestorm]

Ask for a link to the study - We would all LOVE to see it

[carriebft]

He must be talking about that one that found that unvaccinated kids are less than .5% of the population but make for 12% of the pertussis cases in the time period studied. obviously the issue there is diagnosis because, with the pertussis vaccine, you will not get as dangerous of a disease, meaning you might not seek medical care.

Also the study did not take into account lack of boosters, iirc. you were considered "vaccinated" if you had the primary series as a child, even if you were now 15.

so it had issues all around, though still some interesting data. But I do not think it says what he claims it does.

ETA

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/302/3/242

its the only study on pertussis done by them in 2009 according to multiple scholarly article search sites.

[lokidoki]

I am curious about this too. Lately (since finding out I am pregnant with #2) I have been overly bothered by the commercial with the mother holding her baby and the commercial announcer says "some think this is the safest place for your baby"...then goes on to talk about how family members are the ones responsible for transmitting pertussis to infants. A commercial for Tdap of course! It makes me so mad because my understanding has always been that it does not prevent transmission and of course, without fail...this commercial does not mention a word about that little detail.

[HRJ]

My own ped who is a "Vaccine Friendly Dr" and has an unvaxxed younger child, had her older children vaxxed for pertussis when they went to school. So she must think it prevents transmission.

She uses Deptacal, but I don't see any information about transmission on the package insert.

I want to see where the 'doesn't prevent transmission' thing is - in writing. Not that I don't trust the mamas here. I just really want to see it in writing.

[japonica]

I don't know about daptacel, but the adacel site says:

"It is unknown whether immunizing adolescents and adults against pertussis will reduce the risk of transmission to infants.3"

http://www.adacel-locator.com/index....E&P=HowS_pread

I think the "doesn't prevent transmission thing" can be found in the studies like the Israeli one where fully vaccinated individuals (old whole cell vaccine) are colonized and infected with the bacteria.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no5/pdf/srugo.pdf

The whole-cell vaccine for pertussis is protective only against clinical
disease, not against infection (15-17). Therefore, even young, recently vaccinated children may serve as reservoirs and potential transmitters of
infection.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by japonica

I don't know about daptacel, but the adacel site says:

"It is unknown whether immunizing adolescents and adults against pertussis will reduce the risk of transmission to infants.3"

Then again, Tdap was only licensed in 2005, which is not long in epidemiological terms. This is a good read (and not just because insidevaccines saw fit to selectively quote Cherry on the topic).

As a secondary question, one might ask why the question whether any individual's attempt to prevent full-blown pediatric disease should take a back seat to this side issue. There's no comparative benefit to pertussis disease-induced immunity, and those who are satisfied that sodium ascorbate will fix it right up anyway don't need any convincing. I really don't get what the message is supposed to be.

[japonica]

Originally Posted by Otto

Then again, Tdap was only licensed in 2005, which is not long in epidemiological terms. This is a good read (and not just because insidevaccines saw fit to selectively quote Cherry on the topic).

As a secondary question, one might ask why the question whether any individual's attempt to prevent full-blown pediatric disease should take a back seat to this side issue. There's no comparative benefit to pertussis disease-induced immunity, and those who are satisfied that sodium ascorbate will fix it right up anyway don't need any convincing. I really don't get what the message is supposed to be.

I can't speak for other parents and families, but I would like as much information as possible when making a decision about vaccines...it does influence our own risk-benefit analysis. I don't see how the question of transmission is a side issue really. Parents are hounded that they need to vaccinate their children against pertussis to "protect the herd," among other reasons. If the vaccine cannot prevent transmission, that will influence some parents' decisions about whether or not to get the vaccine. Then again for others, it may not.

My husband was supposed to still have some immunity from his Tdap booster in 2002 (if we take 10 years as the outside window--he was told it would last that long). But he had pertussis this March, transmitted it to our 23 month old son. So, I've seen the vaccine in action in our household, and the results were not super impressive.

And if the studies are also indicating that fully vaccinated children can indeed become infected and transmit it to others, that might be relevant to parental decisions as well.

From what I have read, there is some difference to the immunity acquired naturally versus vaccine-derived immunity in regards to Cherry's original antigenic sin hypothesis and ACT. Also, I've read that naturally-derived immunity may last longer in some individuals.

Parents will make up their own minds as to what works in their families. If they do their reading and research and are convinced that the pertussis vaccine is the key to preventing infection and illness in their children and themselves, then concerns about a "side issue" like transmission will not deter them.

[Devaskyla]

This is the link I was directed to http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...act/123/6/1446

It doesn't even remotely say what she claims it says.

[carriebft]

yes, that is the study I talked about.