The CDC wants you to know the aP is working ...

[miriam]

... even though it does not seem like it.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/sep/07/whooping-cough-vaccine-working/ 
<QUOTE>CDC Statement On Why Vaccinated People in CA are contracting Pertussis:

Vaccines for pertussis are very effective, but no vaccine protects forever in 100% of those vaccinated. Protection wanes over time, which is the reason for intermittent "booster doses". High vaccination coverage in communities and in families also protects others, including those who are too young to be vaccinated or whose immunity from vaccination has waned. CA is experiencing a significant increase in pertussis circulating in the community. That disease pressure is causing more fully vaccinated and recently vaccinated people to become infected than in a typical year. It does not mean the vaccine is NOT working. Rather, the higher the vaccine coverage, the higher the proportion of cases who have been vaccinated. This is commonly misinterpreted to mean that a vaccine is not working, when in fact it means that coverage is high.  

<UNQUOTE>

So now we all know.  

Edited by miriam - 3/22/11 at 11:05am

[Marnica]

that's actually hilarious

[Lovemy3girls]

I'm laughing right along with you there.  It should be becoming more obvious now that an increasing number of bacteria and viruses are mutating more quickly than ever before. Do you think that there's a correlation to the increasing frequency of changes in the global environment? Maybe nature will have the final say after all.

[miriam]

This piece is why my favorite anti-vax sites on the internet are from the CDC, DHS, and WHO.  

[seashells]

OK, I'm dumb, but I don't follow.

So they are doing the usual herd immunity thing (about which I personally have no stance). I followed the writing up until here:

Rather, the higher the vaccine coverage, the higher the proportion of cases who have been vaccinated. This is commonly misinterpreted to mean that a vaccine is not working, when in fact it means that coverage is high. 

It's not even that I disagree with it, but I don't even understand what it's trying to say.

[miriam]

You are not dumb.  The CDC is dumb.

[TonyaW]

It actually makes no logical sense at all! They are shooting themselves in the foot with comments like this in my opinion.

They are saying that since there is a high vaccination coverage, then you will see more among the vaccinated with pertussis, I guess than you would among those that aren't vaccinated and because supposedly vaccination immunity is waning in others. Seeing more people that are vaccinated contracting the disease is misinterpreted as the vaccine not working even though the vaccine coverage is high because more people have  the vaccine than do not and vaccine coverage wanes with time. Gosh that was a mouthful and silly!

 

Originally Posted by seashells 

OK, I'm dumb, but I don't follow.

So they are doing the usual herd immunity thing (about which I personally have no stance). I followed the writing up until here:

Rather, the higher the vaccine coverage, the higher the proportion of cases who have been vaccinated. This is commonly misinterpreted to mean that a vaccine is not working, when in fact it means that coverage is high. 

It's not even that I disagree with it, but I don't even understand what it's trying to say.