I thought I would put this out there as one more consideration in planning overall health care preps.
Whooping cough (pertussis)took a crack at the hospital where my DH works this spring. Nearly 150 staff were diagnosed, many of whom had previously received the pertussis/whooping cough vaccine.
When I brought my kids in for the pneumovax in June or July, the nurse told me I should get my daughter in for a pertussis booster sooner than her normal November annual physical. We are doing that later this week.
It got me to thinking, though, that we adults should probably get boosters as well. But come to find out, there’s no such vaccine approved for use in older teens and adults.
That didn’t stop the hospital where DH works from vaccinating all its staff, though (and last time I checked, there weren’t a lot of adolescents on staff). In fact, they gave all staff boosters not only in the hospital itself, but to all staff (receptionists on up through medical directors) throughout the hospital’s statewide network of clinics.
The American Academy of Pediatricians revised its recommendations on pertussis vaccination. You can read it here: http://tinyurl.com/mzcey
The FDA apparently reviewed applications for two adult pertussis vaccines in March of this year, but I couldn’t find info on action taken. An excerpt from “Pertussis in Adolescents and Adults: Strategies to Improve Prevention and Control Among All Age Groups” posted on the CDC’s site states:
Waning immunity is likely to be the most important reason for the increase in reported cases of pertussis among adolescents and adults. We know that immunity after pertussis wanes, and although experts vary on how long immunity lasts after natural infection, the number is in the range of 10–20 years. After vaccination with DTwP (whole-cell pertussis) vaccine, and probably after DTaP (acellular pertussis) vaccines immunity also wanes substantially after five years, and probably is gone between 10 and 15 years, leaving adolescents susceptible to pertussis.
You can read the entire report at: http://tinyurl.com/ntjq2
Obviously there are risks involved with any vaccine. I don’t know enough about adult pertussis vaccination to tell if the two under consideration by the FDA are all-out new vaccinations or just dosage-appropriate versions of the ones that have been used in kids for years. Either way, if you think this is something you want to get for your kiddos or yourself, do your homework.
If you know anything about pertussis, you know it is very nasty, sometimes fatal, and even when not fatal, debilitates its victims for weeks and months at a time.
Here’s a link to info about pertussis vaccine and/or boosters. It appears that adults CAN get a booster shot (DTAP).
Oops, should read Tdap, NOT Dtap (for adults). Sorry.
Here’s another vaccine that adults age 60 and over might consider getting. It is for shingles (herpes zoster), which can affect anyone who has had chickenpox (which is most adults). Although I’ve not had shingles, and am not old enough to get the vaccine, plenty of my relatives have had shingles and it is DEFINITELY not fun. It would be sheer hell to be SIPing and have a case of shingles pop up.
…and none of it is bird flu.
However, pertussis is a doozy — I had it last year — and having had it does not give you immunity, apparently. It’s on my list for the fall.
Adults can have the pertussis, tetnus, and diptheria combo shot. I had it this summer. It is new to my county, but I went to the health department and got one.
A friend of mine had Whooping Cough, she was sick as dog for 6 weeks before anyone knew what she had. She was sick for 18 months. So if I can get a shot for that I will! Oh and by the way my friend gave it to her grandchild pre-school age and he had had his shot.
Closed to maintain Forum speed.