Pertussis : The Resurrection Of A Silent Killer

All too often we hear on the news of the devastating effects of a disease that could have been prevented by vaccines, but because of parents refusal to vaccinate their infants and children, public health professionals are now confronted with a health crisis. The importance of vaccinations is to provide children with added protection because of a young, developing immune system. Consequently, vaccines will help in boosting the immune system in recognizing and protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, mumps, and pertussis, also known as whooping cough.1 For example, pertussis, a bacterial infection that is preventable by vaccines, has infected 16 million persons worldwide, and causes about 195,000 deaths

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 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

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a bacterium, Bordatella pertussis. In 2010 it affected 27, 5501 individuals and was responsible for 262 deaths in the United States. Bordatella pertussis colonizes in the cilia of the respiratory tract3 producing uncontrollable coughing with paroxysms (fits) followed with a high pitched intake of air creating a whoop sound, posttussive emesis (cough induced vomiting), and exhaustion.3 These symptoms can last up to 10 weeks.3 Adults can transfer Pertussis to infants who are not fully immunized, subsequently, they are at a greater risk and may have serious complications from Pertussis including pneumonia and death.4

For instance, pertussis, or commonly known as whooping cough, “Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection (cdc.gov).” This infection may resemble a common cold; however, it quickly turns into a more serious illness, causing babies or those with compromised immune systems to stop breathing and can become fatal. Babies cannot receive this vaccination until they are two months of age. Most babies who have whooping cough catch it from their caregivers or other family members. Whooping cough spreads easily from person to person, through coughing and sneezing, usually people who spread whooping cough are unaware that they even have it. The best way to prevent this is to receive the pertussis vaccination, DTaP in children and TDaP in adults. If you have received the vaccination in the past, it is always best to ask your health care provider if you are in need of a booster vaccination. Much like other vaccinations, the boosters are just as important as the initial vaccination. The immunity can wear off over time leaving one susceptible to the

Whooping cough, which is also known as, Pertussis, is caused by infection by the Bordetella Pertussis bacteria. A highly contagious bacterial disease affects the respiratory system and produces spasms of coughing that usually end in a high-pitched whooping sound.

What is pertussis, commonly known as “whooping cough”? Whooping cough is an infection of the respiratory

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.

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 Article entitled “Pertussis (Whooping Cough)- Pertactin-Negative Pertussis Strains” is about trying to figure out whether the Pertussis (whooping cough) is becoming more prominent across the United States because the lack of protein called Pertactin or because the Pertactin is present. Pertactin is a protein that helps bacteria attach to the lining of the airways. Pertactin is one of many key components of all pertussis vaccines in the United States. There was a study published in January of 2015 that discovered that if a person who has had the pertussis vaccination catches pertussis, it is more than likely to be a result of a Pertactin-deficient strain. But, in

Every year or season a slightly different flu strain awakens, infecting our human population. This fall it’s the whooping cough, also called pertussis. It is causing many deaths, especially in infants. Many health officials have grown concerned with this unexpected new threat, mainly because the babies are too young to be fully immunized by the illness. It’s essential to understand how this virus is effecting our population and what procedures must be taken in order to prevent it from continuing to spread.

ones to not only vaccinate their children, but themselves as well. Pertussis was once believed to

Before the major vaccination campaigns of the 1960s and ’70s, diseases like tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis) killed thousands of young children every year. Today, deaths from these diseases are extraordinarily rare in Australia, and the remainder of the developed world("health.gov.au", 2015). Even with the knowledge of the reality that vaccinations have greatly reduced the diagnosis of many deadly diseases, there is still a group of individuals who refuse to vaccinate their children out of fear. Despite the long history of safety and effectiveness, vaccines have had their fair share of criticism, some parents and a small fringe of doctors question whether or not vaccinating kids are worth what they perceive as the risks. In recent years, the anti-vaccination movement, largely based on poor science and fear-mongering, has become more vocal and even hostile (Hughes 2015). Thanks to a reduction in parental willingness to immunize children, vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise. Last year, the

The question left to understand is how to prevent the spread of pertussis to those under one year of age and to those unable to receive the vaccine. Prevention would require different methods to stop the spread of pertussis. Wagner and Clodfelter (2014) explained using simple techniques such as hand

Pertussis disease of more formally known to the world as whooping cough disease in the United States, has had many outbreaks within the last few years. This disease is reported every three to five years with more frequent outbreaks. In 2012, the most recent peak year, in which there was 48,277 cases of whooping cough reported that year. But that was only the number of reported cases there was many more cases unreported. There is a control group targeted to help control efforts of outbreak everywhere with this disease.