Whooping Cough (Pertussis): Protect Yourself, Protect
Your Baby
Whooping cough is most severe for babies younger than 1 year,
who are too young to be fully immunized. Babies often catch the
illness from a family member or other caregiver. People
with pertussis usually spread the disease by coughing or
sneezing while in close contact with others, who then breathe in
the pertussis bacteria. The best way to
protect you and your infant from whooping cough is to get
yourself and everyone around your baby (siblings, dads,
grandparents, nannies, etc.) vaccinated with the whooping cough
booster shot (Tdap). Also, infants and young children should
receive the recommended 5 doses of the childhood whooping cough
vaccine (DTaP).
Visit www.cdc.gov/pertussis for more information. (Sept. 2010)
At a recent infectious disease conference, Scott Halperin, M.D., presented information showing the incidence of pertussis in particular populations is increasing. Pre-school children used to have the highest incidence of the disease but that has now shifted to the adolescent and adult population. The greatest burden of the disease is occurring in 10-19 year olds. The new guidelines strongly recommend that adults up to age 65 years receive the new adult vaccine for pertussis, Tdap. (Boostrix or Adacel). The vaccine is the only way to eventually eliminate the disease.
Usually, adolescents acquire pertussis from the community and household contacts and adults acquire it from their school-age children and can then transmit the illness to their young infants who are at the highest risk of morbidity and mortality. Symptoms in adults predominantly are cough, sleep disturbance, cough with vomiting and whooping. The average duration of the disease is 8 weeks.
In the past, adolescents and adults were not vaccinated against pertussis because the older vaccine caused serious side effects when given to older children and adults. The new vaccine (Boostrix or Adacel) is safe and effective against whooping cough for these age groups. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends all adolescents 12 years and older should receive a single dose of Tdap (Boostrix or Adacel) instead of Td. If the patient already received Td, they can still receive Tdap after a five year interval.
~Infectious Diseases in Childhood, February 2006