HEALTH Deadly Whooping Cough, Once Wiped Out, Is Back

[Kent]

Deadly Whooping Cough, Once Wiped Out, Is Back
by NPR Staff

August 14, 2010

The California epidemic has raised plenty of questions about the role of vaccination and the increasing numbers of parents who decide not to vaccinate their children.
California is in the midst of its worst outbreak of whooping cough in a half-century. More than 2,700 cases have been reported so far this year — eight times last year's number at this point. Seven of the victims, all infants, have died.

And here's what really worries pediatricians like USC's Harvey Karp: Doctors thought they wiped out whooping cough when they developed vaccines decades ago.

The disease hits young children hardest, especially ones who are not vaccinated or who have not yet built up full immunity. The prescribed vaccination regimen begins with a shot at two months and continues until children are 5 years old. For many children, it can take that long for complete immunity to develop — and until then, they're vulnerable.

The California epidemic has raised plenty of questions about the role of vaccination and the increasing numbers of parents who decide not to vaccinate their children. California's Department of Public Health cites three schools in the state where 80 percent of parents have signed a "personal belief exemption" to keep their children from being vaccinated.

That's part of what's behind this epidemic, Dr. Karp tells NPR's Guy Raz. "And it's in part because the immunity of people who were immunized earlier has waned," he adds.
In fact, Karp estimates that 75 percent to 90 percent of whooping cough cases occur in teenagers and adults, for whom it is not deadly. Most adults may experience only a lingering cough. The danger occurs when adults and teenagers — whose immunity wanes around 12 years old — contract whooping cough and unwittingly give it to infants.

There is a booster shot for adults, but it only became available in 2005. Many adults are not even aware that they should get one every 10 years.

"Doctors — especially pediatricians — aren't doing a good enough job," Karp says. "When you go into the doctor's office for your child's care, your pediatrician should be telling you that you should be getting immunized as well."

Karp acknowledges that vaccination is a difficult issue for parents.

"They're very busy, working hard, working double jobs — it's really a burden to have to be a parent and then also have to be a biochemist, to read the literature and decide what vaccines are good and what vaccines aren't good," he says.

In the background, he says, parents see a frightening increase of autism, coupled with reports of a potential link to vaccinations.

"All of that has stopped parents in their tracks from wanting to take any chance that they were going to expose their child to something that might be dangerous," Karp says. "I totally understand that. The good news is — we have a large body of information now to show zero association between vaccines and autism."
"But," he adds, "we do need to try to help parents figure all of this information out so that they can make the best decision for their kids."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129198775

 

[etc]

 

[Kent]

I agree, parents who will not get a whooping cough vaccination for the kids are following the natural news herd. To bad the kids will pay with their lives.

 

[Dennis Olson]

California's Department of Public Health cites three schools in the state where 80 percent of parents have signed a "personal belief exemption" to keep their children from being vaccinated.

That's part of what's behind this epidemic, Dr. Karp tells NPR's Guy Raz.


And a much LARGER part is the fact that disease-ridden illegal immigrants from Turd Whirled hell-holes are allowed into our public school systems.

 

[kozanne]

California's Department of Public Health cites three schools in the state where 80 percent of parents have signed a "personal belief exemption" to keep their children from being vaccinated.

That's part of what's behind this epidemic, Dr. Karp tells NPR's Guy Raz.


And a much LARGER part is the fact that disease-ridden illegal immigrants from Turd Whirled hell-holes are allowed into our public school systems.

Yup. Every time I hear the local msm say they busted a drop house or a vanload and they say one or more of them are sick, my blood runs cold. And most of the time, you never hear what they are sick from.......

And whooping cough is NOTHING to play with.

 

[KerryAnn]

Interesting, Kent. How do you explain the recent whooping cough outbreaks where every single person who caught it was vaccinated? And how do you explain that it often runs rampant through schools where the vaccination rate is 95% plus?

 

[kozanne]

Interesting, Kent. How do you explain the recent whooping cough outbreaks where every single person who caught it was vaccinated? And how do you explain that it often runs rampant through schools where the vaccination rate is 95% plus?

Source?

 

[ejagno]

I agree, parents who will not get a whooping cough vaccination for the kids are following the natural news herd. To bad the kids will pay with their lives.

Too bad the pertusis vaccination almost killed my oldest child, sent the second one in shock and I wasn't willing the risk the third.................and neither were their health care providers. Before you paint everyone with that broad brush of yours it might help to look at all pros and cons as well as risks and benefits of these vaccinations.

 

[Kent]

Too bad the pertusis vaccination almost killed my oldest child, sent the second one in shock and I wasn't willing the risk the third.................and neither were their health care providers. Before you paint everyone with that broad brush of yours it might help to look at all pros and cons as well as risks and benefits of these vaccinations.

You had a good reason and were not just following the natural news herd.
Were you? Your brush may be wider than mine. Glad to hear your children turned out OK.

 

[Kent]

California's Department of Public Health cites three schools in the state where 80 percent of parents have signed a "personal belief exemption" to keep their children from being vaccinated.

That's part of what's behind this epidemic, Dr. Karp tells NPR's Guy Raz.


And a much LARGER part is the fact that disease-ridden illegal immigrants from Turd Whirled hell-holes are allowed into our public school systems.

While Mexico has some outbreaks, most are in the US. Go to http://www.healthmap.org/en/ type in whooping cough. Also you can go to advance search and change the time from only a week to a year or more.

Most of the US outbreaks seem to be in the more liberal areas like Greene county Ill, Cal, and NY.

 

[denfoote]

Been there, done that, had the disease, over and done with it, when I was a kid!!
Same thing with measles and chicken pox.
I did get BOTH polio vaccines, diphtheria, and numerious tetnus shots.

In the sixties, when you got measles, chicken pox, or any of the so-called "childhood" diseases, you stayed home from school, went to the doctor, and your actual MOM nursed you back to health!!! What a concept!!

 

[Usually Curious]

California's Department of Public Health cites three schools in the state where 80 percent of parents have signed a "personal belief exemption" to keep their children from being vaccinated.

That's part of what's behind this epidemic, Dr. Karp tells NPR's Guy Raz.


And a much LARGER part is the fact that disease-ridden illegal immigrants from Turd Whirled hell-holes are allowed into our public school systems.

Not only that, I want to know how many of those cases were vaccinated. Most often you find that most of those sick were vaccinated. Just like the H1N1 vax.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Most of the US outbreaks seem to be in the more liberal areas like Greene county Ill, Cal, and NY.


Yup. Right where the Turd Whirled immigrants settle....

 

[pops88]

Too bad the pertusis vaccination almost killed my oldest child, sent the second one in shock

My oldest daughter went into shock. At the time, it wasn't one of the side effects listed for the vaccine. If one child has a reaction, the statistic I read back in the 80's was that siblings had a greater than 50% chance of having a reaction, too. That led me to do a lot of research. I made my subsequent vaccination decisions based on extensive research.

 

[Countrymouse]

Whooping Cough has never been "wiped out"----only controlled.

The only disease ever to have been reported as "wiped out" due to vaccinations was Smallpox---and that determination was made after a certain number of YEARS had passed, in which NO smallpox cases at all had been reported, WORLDWIDE.

While we here in the US may have had a near-zero occurrence of whooping cough, its rate in third-world countries (like Mexico) has continued to be of concern.

Now that "Mexico" is coming "here", they are bringing their health problems along with them.

Even Smallpox is not "eradicated" entirely, in the sense of "no longer existing"--in their infinite wisdom, the U.S. CDC has KEPT VIALS of active smallpox culture alive in their laboratories for "study". If those vials were ever to be handled improperly, or be stolen, or otherwise "let loose"---then we could easily have a world pandemic on our hands, especially as this disease is no longer even vaccinated for, since being classified "eradicated".

 

[Kent]

Most of the US outbreaks seem to be in the more liberal areas like Greene county Ill, Cal, and NY.


Yup. Right where the Turd Whirled immigrants settle....

You have a point. They could have massive whooping cough outbreaks in Mexico and we would never hear about them.

 

[Josie]

Whooping Cough has never been "wiped out"----only controlled.
The only disease ever to have been reported as "wiped out" due to vaccinations was Smallpox---and that determination was made after a certain number of YEARS had passed, in which NO smallpox cases at all had been reported, WORLDWIDE.

While we here in the US may have had a near-zero occurrence of whooping cough, its rate in third-world countries (like Mexico) has continued to be of concern.

Now that "Mexico" is coming "here", they are bringing their health problems along with them.

Even Smallpox is not "eradicated" entirely, in the sense of "no longer existing"--in their infinite wisdom, the U.S. CDC has KEPT VIALS of active smallpox culture alive in their laboratories for "study". If those vials were ever to be handled improperly, or be stolen, or otherwise "let loose"---then we could easily have a world pandemic on our hands, especially as this disease is no longer even vaccinated for, since being classified "eradicated".

Exactly, Countrymouse. It's a concept that many people fail to understand.

 

[Y2kO]

The good news is — we have a large body of information now to show zero association between vaccines and autism."

More BS. Dr. Stan Monteith, in California, interviewed a doctor there who had a clinic of several pediatricians who provided health care for 40,000 children. They recommend that they DO NOT TAKE ANY VACCINATIONS. And the result is that NONE of the 40,000 children have autism. This is in a state where the number of autism cases have exploded in recent years.

 

[Karnie]

You had a good reason and were not just following the natural news herd.
Were you? Your brush may be wider than mine. Glad to hear your children turned out OK.

Well mine did not. Pertussis vaccine caused severe reaction in my oldest son and killed my only daughter. My third child is totally unvaccinated.

While you're so flippant about the "natural news herd" , are you aware that the ONLY major study ever conducted on DPT vaccine in this country (conducted by UCLA & FDA jointly) found one child in 200 had a brain involved reaction?

Yeah - I wasn't aware of that either - until AFTER DS#1 had three doses and reactions EACH time that should have precluded any further doses (but the doctor never asked, and no one gave me info on severe reactions - it was not required in private peds offices in the 80's) and AFTER my only daughter was DEAD AND BURIED as a result of her own brain-involved reaction.

In the latest major disease outbreak in Oklahoma of which I am aware, the majority of whooping cough cases occurred in individuals who were properly immunized for their age.

If you get serious about learning about vaccines, you'll find two things:

1) The vaccines we've been using in this country are NOT SAFE
2) The vaccines we've been using in this country are NOT EFFECTIVE

They do, however, make a crap-load of profits for the drug companies.

ETA: Are you aware that the headquarters for the American Academy of Pediatrics was fully funded by the vaccine manufacturers? Are you aware that the director of the AAP has his salary fully funded by the drug companies? How well do you think your pediatricians are educated on childhood vaccines - both efficacy and risks? As for myself - after the death of my daughter, I spent YEARS in the medical libraries researching information on vaccines. I've spoken twice to the Immunization Advisory Committee for the CDC in Atlanta. I've been invited to speak to both groups of attorneys and groups of pediatricians. I've been quoted in numerous magazines and was even on the front page of USA Today.

And while I'm the farthest you'll find from a liberal - I AM a mom who used the "personal belief" aka "philosophical objection" part of the vaccine laws to save the life of her third child. Would you suggest that the government knows more than I do about whether my children or my grandchildren or my nieces/nephews should be subjected to DPT vaccines?

 

[It'sJustMe]

43 years ago my first child died, 2 days after getting his first dpt shot. The coroner called it SIDS. I am convinced, to this day, he died from his vaccine. I subsequently was extremely selective, in the vaccines I would allow to be given to my next 3 children. IJM

 

[Double_A]

California's Department of Public Health cites three schools in the state where 80 percent of parents have signed a "personal belief exemption" to keep their children from being vaccinated.

That's part of what's behind this epidemic, Dr. Karp tells NPR's Guy Raz.


And a much LARGER part is the fact that disease-ridden illegal immigrants from Turd Whirled hell-holes are allowed into our public school systems.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

This disease was wiped out in the USA for several decades. Parent's stopped getting kids vaccinated. SE Asian immigrants where it is common brought it in to Calif. Now we have what we have.

 

[willowlady]

You'll never convince me

that vaccines have no role in the huge increase of Autism in these United States. Now listed as 1 in 110. Eldest grandson was fine, got vaccinated and developed early symptoms of autism. My daughter worked with him extensively and he's now okay except for ADHD.

Next child, granddaughter was fine until one day after her 18 month dpt and measles vac. I cannot put in words how that baby suffered, and still does, and all her family as well. She now has Rett Syndrome. I must have spent hundreds of hours doing research during the destructive phase of her disease. One of the things I learned was that back in the 70's and 80's when a child had this set of symptoms (mostly girls have Rett Syndrome), it was labeled "pertussis toxicity shock." That reference was removed from open internet sources within a few months of my finding it. We put her on our own concoctions of probiotics and supplements and stopped the destruction. We put her through our own therapies, like teaching her to walk. Much of what we did is now part of the protocol for treatment in Rett Syndrome. But the damage is permanent and terrible. She will never talk or read, and will probably die before age 30.

Third grandchild, son, no vaccines whatever until age seven. He's the brightest and healthiest of the bunch. Rarely get colds or flu; when he does he recovers without intervention and quickly. At age seven, they got him a Tetanus shot. That's all.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not against all vaccines. It is clear that my two eldest grandkids had a genetic vulnerability from the get-go. What I am vehemently against is vaccinating infants under six months of age, when they yet have no immune system to work with the vaccine to create appropriate antibodies. In many countries in Europe, when I was doing my research, I discovered they didn't vaccinate the kids until they were two years old. Further, I am passionately opposed to the use of aborted infant cells in vaccines, if that is actually true.

I see no need at all for vaccines against chicken pox (it's statistically safer to have the disease than the vaccine) or HepB (that's a lifestyle issue and should be addressed on an individual basis).

IMO, our current paradigm of vaccination is all about the bucks. More buck for big pharma, fewer lost days from Mom's staying home to take care of sick kids, etc.

 

[RCSAR]

Not to change the topic but to add to the discussion.

TB has been on the rise for years and I think has hit a plateau.

I read this a year or so ago on the health reports of prison inmates vs general public.

If someone can find a TB chart that lists years and number of cases, public or other wise that would be nice.

One more thing. Is there a Vax or cure for TB?

The 1 in 110 children with autism should be all over the news and not swept under the rug. I know the increase of Vax and rise of Autism is not proof but it seems like a heck of an indicator! Most studies I have read that say there is no connection is drug company funded if you follow the money trail.

 

[Kent]

Even Smallpox is not "eradicated" entirely, in the sense of "no longer existing"--in their infinite wisdom, the U.S. CDC has KEPT VIALS of active smallpox culture alive in their laboratories for "study". If those vials were ever to be handled improperly, or be stolen, or otherwise "let loose"---then we could easily have a world pandemic on our hands, especially as this disease is no longer even vaccinated for, since being classified "eradicated".

The vials of smallpox the CDC have don't bother me near as much as the vials Russia have that are almost unprotected. The CDC keeps the samples to produce vaccine if needed.

 

[Kent]

If someone can find a TB chart that lists years and number of cases, public or other wise that would be nice.

http://www.healthmap.org/en/

 

[Karnie]

My oldest daughter went into shock. At the time, it wasn't one of the side effects listed for the vaccine. If one child has a reaction, the statistic I read back in the 80's was that siblings had a greater than 50% chance of having a reaction, too. That led me to do a lot of research. I made my subsequent vaccination decisions based on extensive research.

Yes, one of the first symptoms Sabra had was shock/collapse. I didn't know what I was seeing at the time and the doctor told me to wait it out when I called to report the things I was seeing. I'm so happy your daughter lived through it.

 

[Karnie]

43 years ago my first child died, 2 days after getting his first dpt shot. The coroner called it SIDS. I am convinced, to this day, he died from his vaccine. I subsequently was extremely selective, in the vaccines I would allow to be given to my next 3 children. IJM

I'm sooooo sorry. My daughter, Sabra, died almost exactly 48 hours after her first DPT shot. The initial autopsy finding for her was also SIDS, but I had written extensive notes about all that happened during those 48 hours... I'd given that same list to the pediatrician, who said he'd pass it along to the coroner but he did not. When the coroner read through my list - plus the 12" stack of articles I'd copied from the medical library in the weeks since her death, he rightly realized she was NOT a SIDS death but told me that he didn't yet have any "evidence" she died from the vaccine.

Fortunately for all of us, the coroner in Sabra's case was an honest man, and very interested in what I presented to him. He still had Sabra's brain and some other organs and went back and did some more slides and this time found some obvious damage that reflected exactly what I'd brought him from the medical library. Over the next few years, he found several other kids that would have been swept into the SIDS waste basket that died from vaccine reaction.

By the way, before my pediatrician lawyered up, he told me that Sabra was the THIRD CHILD IN HIS PRACTICE to die from DPT vaccine.

When the coroner was eventually dismissed (he worked for the Okla. Dept of Health, the same state agency tasked with administering the vaccine policies in the state and they didn't take kindly to his honesty about cause of death for these kids!) he traveled around the country for a couple years, teaching other coroners about what he learned.

Interesting how many of us have our own personal experiences with vaccine severe reaction/damage/death.

I guess Kent thinks we're all just part of the natural news herd, huh?

 

[KenGin31]

Another thing you can thank the illeage population for.

 

[dissimulo]

In a society where rational self-interest prevails, this sort of problem seems unavoidable. There will probably never be a vaccine that does not cause health problems in some of the people who take it. People can go into shock from a dry injection or from an injection of distilled water. No matter how good the safety profile of a drug is, there will always be outliers.

So, most people will evaluate the perceived risk of the vaccine against the perceived risk of the disease. When the disease is rampant, most will want the vaccine. When the disease becomes rare, significantly fewer will want the vaccine. Assuming perception is close to reality in these cases, it is hard to refute the logic.

Because of this, it is extremely unlikely that we will have a repeat of the victory over Smallpox. Instead, we will push some diseases to the edges of the civilized world, forget that they used to trouble us, and then act surprised when they reappear. Short of forcing people to vaccinate, which I don't think is an acceptable option, this cycle is probably inevitable.

It will be interesting to see what happens when polio gets into one of these low-compliance communities.

 

[dissimulo]

One more thing. Is there a Vax or cure for TB?

There is both a vaccine and cure for TB, although neither are as straightforward as they are with some diseases. TB vaccine is not effective against all strains and does not have a particularly high effectiveness against the strains it does match. We don't usually give TB vaccine in the US, but it is commonly used in parts of the world where TB is common.

Almost all TB can be cured, but the treatment takes months, which offers a lot of opportunity for patients to lapse in taking the antibiotics. This has led to a proliferation of resistant strains, including some now that have no conventional treatment. But, most cases can still be treated.

The 1 in 110 children with autism should be all over the news and not swept under the rug. I know the increase of Vax and rise of Autism is not proof but it seems like a heck of an indicator! Most studies I have read that say there is no connection is drug company funded if you follow the money trail.

There has been an awful lot of focus here and an awful lot of not finding any link. The main researcher who claimed a link has been pretty thoroughly discredited. You have to believe a whole lot of people are complicit to think that this has been buried. I am not generally impressed by theorizing conspiracy without proof, but your mileage may vary.

However, consider that a whole lot of things have risen along with autism and not just vaccination: automobiles, airplanes, espresso, electromagnetic radiation, nuclear radiation, psychology journals, television channels, and many thousands of other things. The correlation between increasing vaccination and increasing autism only looks interesting if you have some other factor to connect them.