‘whooping cough’

All Articles tagged ‘whooping cough’

Parents May Hesitate On Teen Vaccines

Posted on March 20, 2013 in: Teens, Vaccines4 Comments

Since 2005, teen immunizations have been recommended at the 11 year-old well child check-up but rates of teens who keep up to date on their shots lag. In an ideal community, 90% of us would be up to date on shots to prevent disease spread most effectively.  Back in 2007, teen recommendations were expanded to include HPV vaccine for girls. In 2011, both boys and girls were recommended to get HPV shots. Although the majority of teens get the Tdap shot (tetanus and whooping cough booster) only around 1/3 of teen girls are up-to-date on their HPV shot when most recently surveyed.

Teen Shots Recommend at age 11:

  • Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis shot)
  • MCV4 (meningitis shot)
  • HPV (human papillomavirus shot, requires 3 doses over 6 months)

A Pediatrics Study on teen shots revealed that parents may not get their teen shots due to concerns about safety or not understanding the shot was recommended. Not all shots are required by schools; I think some families tend to experience that as an endorsement for the shot being less important. In the survey conducted between 2008-2010, researchers sought to understand trends and rationale for lagging shots: Read full post »

Baby Dies From Whooping Cough

Posted on December 19, 2012 in: Infant, Vaccines3 Comments

camping out with babyNews of a whooping cough death in the Seattle area rang out yesterday. By afternoon, many of my patients in clinic had heard the news. Although the epidemic levels of whooping cough have gradually faded since a peak of cases here in May, the risk is still very real.

A newborn baby died from whooping cough on December 13th here in Washington State.

Newborn babies are at particularly elevated risk for serious complications from pertussis (whooping cough) infections. Unlike older children and adults who often have cough & coughing fits with vomiting, babies can have severe respiratory distress, pauses in breathing, or even stop breathing. Rarely it can be deadly.

Infants are most likely to catch whooping cough from a parent. We have to cocoon newborns everywhere: surround them with people who are vaccinated and less likely to spread whooping cough infection.

This tragic death serves up a reminder for we pediatricians, family docs, and clinicians everywhere to maintain our efforts and amp up our passion to keep babies surrounded by immunized family and friends. We can’t let up.

Are You Up To Date On Your Whooping Cough Shots?

More than anything, we need to ensure family members (mothers, fathers, grandparents, and siblings) all are up-to-date on their whooping cough shot. The shot is imperfect (meaning not everyone who gets the shot is always immune — most estimates find that 80% of us who get the shot are protected) and we know some of our immunity to whooping cough can fade year after year. So the more people immunized the less likely we are to have whooping cough in our community. Read full post »

Cocoon A Newborn, Only An Email Away

Posted on April 5, 2012 in: Infant, School Age, Teens, Toddler, Vaccines20 Comments

This week, Washington State declared that whooping cough (pertussis) has reached epidemic levels. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve had more than 600 documented cases in the state, a dramatic increase since last year. The increase puts our new babies at risk.

In clinic I’ve been urging new parents to cocoon their babies. That is, provide a family of protection by having every single child & adult immunized against whooping cough, influenza, and other vaccine preventable illnesses. By surrounding a baby with only immunized people, you cocoon them against serious infections.

Whooping cough is a highly infectious respiratory illness spread by sneezing and coughing that can be deadly to young infants. Getting a Tdap shot is the best way to avoid getting whooping cough. Amidst an epidemic, we worry most about newborns because they are most vulnerable to complications and lack vaccine-protection. If every child and adult that surrounds a newborn gets a Tdap shot, the likelihood of the baby getting whooping cough approaches zero.

Most newborns get whooping cough from their family or adults around them. That’s where an email comes to play.

You’re going to have to be fairly Mama-Papa-Bear about this. You’ll have to show some strength to create a very safe home, even when it feels somewhat over-the-top. As I said to a number of families in clinic today, “It only seems entirely over-the-top-nuts until we lose another newborn to pertussis.” Being smart now will save lives.

Make a new rule: no visits with a newborn until all visitors have had the Tdap shot. Even Grandparents.

Write an email to family and friends to explain.

A sample email for you to use/copy/share –written today by a friend of mine–mother to that darling baby girl born last week: Read full post »

All Grandparents Need A Tdap

Posted on March 16, 2012 in: Infant, School Age, Teens, Toddler, Vaccines27 Comments

Some of my best friends are about to have a baby, the due date only a few weeks away. I’m teary thinking about it as my excitement for her arrival exceeds the speed limit. They asked my opinion this week for getting their extended family immunized in light of the recent Whooping Cough (pertussis) outbreak in our area. I advised them that all teens and adults (including grandparents) need a Tdap shot before they are with the baby. Even pregnant women are getting immunized after 20 weeks gestation to protect their newborns at and after birth.

Ideally, everyone should have the Tdap shot at least 2 weeks before the baby arrives.

My friends advised their parents. But both grandmas were turned away–one here in the US and one abroad. Each were told by a physician that they didn’t need the Tdap shot because they were over 65 years of age.

That physician was wrong. Whooping Cough (pertussis) knows no age. And immunization recommendations for pertussis protection have changed this past year because of rising rates of infection and infant deaths.

The best way to protect a newborn baby from getting Whooping Cough is to cocoon them with family and friends who are immunized against it.

Here is an overview on protecting your family from Whooping Cough.  <——Share this link with friends having new babies.

All grandparents, all adults, and all teens need a Tdap shot before holding a newborn baby.

Ask questions, please. And one more thing, can you suggest girl names? My friend is beside herself that they don’t have one picked out…I’ll buy you coffee if you suggest the name she chooses (hint: use a real email)