Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Y&H Podcast
  • Newsletter Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Y&H Podcast
  • Newsletter Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/Vaccines/Whooping cough epidemic linked to people who refuse vaccines

Whooping cough epidemic linked to people who refuse vaccines

 

August 10, 2010
Bob Frenck MD
0 Comments

California’s whooping cough epidemic could be the worst in 50 years. As of late July, the state reported nearly 2,200 cases of the bacterial infection, including seven deaths — all infants younger than two months. And now whooping cough is on the rise in other states, too.

Why? Because people aren’t getting vaccinated. It happened in Great Britain and Japan, and now it’s happening in the United States. Wherever there’s a drop in whooping cough (pertussis) immunizations, there’s a resurgence of the disease.

One recent WebMD article noted that the California county with the most cases of whooping cough also has a relatively high number of people who refused the vaccine.

I know parents are doing what they think is best when they avoid vaccinating their children. But many times, they base decisions on inaccurate information. Here are the facts:

Fact 1: Vaccines are necessary.
Smallpox is the only disease we’ve eradicated. The others are still out there, waiting to attack a susceptible child. Outbreaks of whooping cough, Haemophilus Influenzae type b, mumps and measles in the United States have been linked to vaccine avoidance.

Fact 2: Vaccines do not cause autism.
A recent series of court cases heard by the U.S. Office of Special Masters concluded there’s no link between the two.

There’s also no link between autism and thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines. Thimerosal is an ethyl mercury, a compound that’s quickly cleared from the body. That’s different from methyl mercury, which does build up in the body and can damage the nervous system. Methyl mercury and ethyl mercury may sound the same. But, as Dr. Ari Brown says, the difference is like methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol: one is antifreeze; the other is Bud Light.

Fact 3: The standard regimen of vaccines in the United States contains fewer foreign antigens in 2010 than ever before.
While our current regimen does require more vaccinations, it contains the fewest antigens ever. That’s because the whooping cough vaccine is now “acellular,” meaning parts of the pertussis bacteria have been purified for inclusion in the vaccine.

The acellular vaccine decreases the risk of fevers associated with the whole-cell vaccine, and is still very effective at preventing whooping cough.

Children up to age six should have the “DTaP” vaccination, which also includes immunity to diphtheria and tetanus. The version for older children and adults is called “Tdap,” and it requires booster shots at least every 10 years. Immunity does fade over time, so parents need to keep track of their own immunizations as well as their kids’.

Being vaccinated is the best way families can avoid being part of the growing epidemic.

Listen to Dr. Frenck discuss the importance and safety of vaccines in this recent Impact Cincinnati program on WVXU radio.

Robert W. Frenck, Jr, MD, is board certified in both pediatrics and infectious diseases. Dr. Frenck is an acknowledged authority in infectious diseases and has authored over 60 articles and book chapters on the subject. His current research interests include therapeutic and vaccine clinical trials with a special interest in enteric diseases.

Related Articles

 

Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: 5 Ways a Cardiac Neuropsychologist Can Help
 

Podcast | Namaste Together: Yoga for Kids
 

Summer Events and Festivals: A Safety Guide for Families
 

Considering Sleepaway Camp for Your Child?
TAGS:

About the author: Bob Frenck MD

Robert W. Frenck, Jr., MD, is director of Clinical Medicine and a vaccine researcher at Cincinnati Children's. He has authored over 60 articles and book chapters on the topic of infectious diseases.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

No Comments Yet

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • Learning and Growing
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Pin of the Week
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • The Young & Healthy Podcast
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Subscribe today to our family newsletter for tips, blog posts, podcasts and more.

Subscribe Now

Popular Posts

About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Newsletter Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2025 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center