Pertussis Research Essay

Yes and no. The vaccination that is available for Pertussis only provides patients with immunity for a limited time (“Whopping cough,” 2017). Due to the fact that the immunity provided through the vaccination is only for a limited time patients must get booster shots in order to maintain their immunity.

There were also similar cases in Japan and Sweden (Turkington and Ashby). Experts came to the conclusion that the lack of vaccines brought back pertussis in all three cases (Turkington and Ashby).

There are several diseases around the world that have not gone away in the last few decades. For instance, HIV, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and more commonly, the Flu, and Measles are deadly diseases that still exist today. However, getting vaccinated will help fight off the disease as the vaccine releases antibodies into your bloodstream. Experts from MedlinePlus say that Pertussis, Diphtheria, and Tetanus are caused by bacteria. Diphtheria and pertussis can be spread to people from coughing and sneezing. Tetanus enters through cut and wounds. Also according to MedlinePlus, “Before vaccines, as many as 200,000 cases a year of diphtheria, 200,000 cases of pertussis, and hundreds of cases of tetanus, were reported in the United States each

Once vaccinated, the person is protected from whooping cough for roughly 10 years and needs to receive the Tdap booster vaccine again. (Tdap- Tetanus and Diphtheria). This is a negative aspect as one vaccination doesn't provide a lifelong solution to Pertussis.

According to SC DHEC, Division of Acute Disease Epidemiology, 2011 shows in this chart the confirmed and probable Pertussis cases in SC, between 2004 and 2010. “Pertussis tends to become epidemic every 2-5 years; a trend unchanged from the years before vaccine introduction. Outbreaks occur throughout the year in the US (Cherry, 2010; CDC, 2010b). Pertussis vaccination has reduced the case incidence in peak years by more than 95%.”

Common side effects from vaccines can range from redness or swelling of the skin where the shot was administered, to severe allergic reactions. For most patients, these side effects are very minor, and go away within a couple of days (“Possible Side-effects”, 2015). All of these common side effects seem to fail in comparison to what symptoms a person may experience if they were infected with the disease these vaccines are protecting them against. For example, in the state of California during 2010, there were 9,120 cases of the whooping cough recorded. That year had the most recorded cases since 1940, when the vaccine against the whooping cough was introduced. In connection to this outbreak, ten infants, who were too young to be vaccinated against the whooping cough, died. It is disheartening to hear more and more of these types of stories when we already have a solution to the problem (“Vaccine Myths Debunked”, n.d.). We are likely to see more of these tragedies as the rates for vaccinations decrease. And we are likely to see many diseases that were once a rarity, make a comeback in our communities.

people are vaccinated and health or medical care is less accessible. Pertussis infects a large number of people yearly, and in part have killed many. Schools are also a place of concern for uninfected children to become infected. According to ("Old college try applying", 2015) schools and day cares have had the most concentrated number of cases of pertussis. Preventative measure are imperative so that children do not get the disease.

Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash, and can lead to pneumonia, hospitalization, or death. The infection can leave permanent damage to the brain and lungs. There is no antiviral medication for measles so it is easier to prevent it than to treat it. In 2016, the US had 70 confirmed cases of measles, mostly in unvaccinated people, and there were 73 confirmed cases of measles in unvaccinated children in Minnesota June 2017 alone (Howard, 2017, ¶2-3). Kristen Ehresmann, the director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division at the State Department of Health said, “Many of the cases could have been prevented if people had gotten vaccinated” (Ehresmann,2017, ¶4). At least 8,250 people were exposed to the measles, mostly in schools, daycares, and healthcare facilities. There were a total of 21 hospitalizations (Howard, 2017, ¶6). A situation where vaccines did stop an outbreak was in 2005 when an 18-month-old Amish girl contracted polio and spread the disease to four other children who were too young to be vaccinated, but because the community had their vaccines, the herd immunity prevented a massive outbreak (Vaccine ProCon, 2018,

That being said, serious damage from vaccination is a rare occurrence (Malone and Hinaman). A Glanz study (2013) from the Vaccine Safety data link demonstrated a direct magnitude that as communities were under vaccinated for Pertussis, the risk of Pertusis increased. The study also showed a 28 times higher rate of Pertussis in children that had no Pertussis vaccination documentation (Glanz et al. 2913). This study as well as an intense list of data by the CDC emulates supportive data for the effectiveness of vaccinations.

The intent of this paper is to discuss the communicable disease, pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough. Research was conducted through online sources and textbook information. Four appropriate and scholarly sources were identified and used to write this paper. Some of the topics discussed include: a thorough description of the disease, the epidemiologic triad, the determinants of health, and the role of the public health nurse in relation to pertussis. This paper aims to increase the reader’s knowledge of pertussis, as well as, bring awareness to prevention and management strategies.

There is no reason why any adult or child should not be vaccinated. Adults should be setting examples for the younger generations by keeping themselves up to date on their vaccines and parents need to make sure they are taking their children to the doctors on a regular basis to keep them up to date as well. The diseases the vaccines prevent can be dangerous or in some cases deadly. The Vaccine reduces the risk of infection by working with the body to help it develop immunity to the diseases. The vaccine helps to develop immunity by imitating the infection, but this imitation does not cause the illness. These vaccines were founded, studied and given to keep our adults and children

Out of all the vaccine preventable diseases, pertussis challenges most infectious diseases in severity and importance in children. In 2014, the incidence rate of pertussis in the United States increased by 15%, with almost 33,000 cases reported (Centers for Disease Control, 2015). The bacterium that causes this illness attacks an unprotected immune by attaching to the lining of the respiratory system. After initial attack, begins the release of the toxins that prohibit the respiratory system from working functionally. Because of this, mucus builds up in the lungs, causing an uncontrollable cough that makes breathing difficult (Tan et al, 2005). This illness is very contagious and almost always deadly in children. However, it can be prevented with proper vaccination. This problem can be addressed with the Health Belief Model (HBM), which encourages preventive health actions in order to prevent unwanted adverse conditions, with the idea that action depends on the value and expectancy of the behavior.

People of any age can compact the disease, children under the age of two are at the highest risk for both the disease and for serious difficulty and death. Evidently, exposure to B. pertussis bacteria earlier in life gives people immunity against infection with it later on. .Whooping cough may begin like a common cold; runny nose, low-grade fever, and coughing. It spreads when an infected person sneezes or coughs while in close contact with others. Unlike the common cold, the pertussis cough continues and may get worse. Coughing can come in violent fits. The name “whooping cough” comes from the high-pitched noise a “whoop” that infants and children make when they gasp for air after a fit of

Pertussis is a disease that can affect any age group of people, from older adults to infants and it also does not affect a particular gender. Even though pertussis is a respiratory disease and its germs can be spread through the air, however, there can be some lifestyle changes among those who are infected, to reduce or minimize the spread of the disease. For example, individuals infected can get plenty of rest by relaxing which will make them feel better; they can drink plenty of fluids to prevent them from becoming dehydrated; they can also avoid tobacco smoking areas which can trigger cough; and they can either wear masks or cover their mouths when coughing to prevent the spread of the germ. According to studies done on pertussis, it was “estimated that national incidence of diagnosed pertussis ranged from 2.1-4.6 cases per 100,000 people across the two age

Thank you for posting the information about whooping cough. I spent the afternoon yesterday in Urgent Care with my Pa. He had what we thought may be the flu. The doctor ordered lab tests and found that it was a severe cold. But it