Tag Archives: vaccinations

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

“WHOOPING COUGH” CASES ON THE RISE

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.  The Texas State Health Department recently issued an advisory to have children vaccinated, and adults catch up on their booster shots.  At the end of August, 1,000 cases had been reported – double the cases from last year.

Pertussis is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing which often makes it hard to breathe. After fits of many coughs, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breathes which result in a “whooping” sound. Pertussis most commonly affects infants and young children and can be fatal, especially in babies less than 1 year of age.

Vaccination is the best way to be protected against Pertussis. There are vaccines for infants, children, preteens, teens and adults. The childhood vaccine is called DTaP, and the pertussis booster vaccine for adolescents and adults is called Tdap. Talk to your healthcare provider about getting vaccinated against pertussis.  You must stay vigilant. We may think we’ve gotten the upper hand against pertussis. But, the disease is always scheming to get back on top. Since the 1980s, doctors have been reporting increasing numbers of pertussis cases. At the moment, there are still far fewer cases than there were before the vaccine. Still, the number of people infected seems to peak every three or four years, showing that pertussis is still out there figuring out its next move.

Pertussis leaves its victims literally gasping for air. At first, this tricky pretender might seem like a common cold—runny nose, fever, and cough. That’s stage 1, when pertussis is just warming up. After a week or two, pertussis infection delivers its cruel surprise—extreme coughing spells. In these fits people can literally cough so hard and long that they throw up or turn blue because they can’t breathe. Victims of pertussis make a gasping “whoop” sound when they suck in air after a coughing fit. Pertussis infection is no joke—about 40% of infants who get it wind up in the hospital! Weeks after Stage 2, as the body finally fends off pertussis, the victims’ cough tapers down.  Infected persons are most contagious during the time severe symptoms appear; and remain contagious up to two weeks after the cough begins.

Pertussis fears four letters — D, T, a and P — and 2 vaccines, “DTaP” and “Tdap”. Kids get “DTaP” while teenagers and grownups get a “boost” with “Tdap.” The vaccine ammo contains diphtheria (the D), tetanus (the T), and acellular pertussis (aP). The term “acellular” (pronounced A-SELL-you-lur) means that the vaccine uses pieces of pertussis bacteria (not the whole bacterium cell). By using just pieces, the vaccine can “teach” the body to protect itself, with the fewest side effects.

Since the days before the vaccine, pertussis cases are down more than 80%.  Pertussis may be tough, but some simple basics can help to keep it in check: like washing hands with soap, covering up coughs and sneezes, and not sharing cups and silverware.  Wearing a N95 face mask could be of help, especially to those parents and caregivers of new infants.

Source: CDC

             TDHS

General Safety Issues

2011 NATIONAL INFANT IMMUNIZATION WEEK (NIIW)

Portions of the following article are from the Centers for Disease Control website.   National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 23 through 30), is observed annually to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities. Since 1994, NIIW has served as a call to action for parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers to ensure that infants are fully immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases.

This year’s NIIW will be held in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA). Hundreds of communities across the United States and throughout the Western Hemisphere are expected to participate in NIIW and VWA by planning community awareness, education, and media events to promote infant and child immunizations to parents, caregivers, and health care professionals.  Awareness and education events are being planned in conjunction with state and local health departments, PAHO, and the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission in sister cities sites along the U.S.-Mexican border. More than 40 countries throughout the Western Hemisphere are expected to work together on VWA to highlight the need for routine vaccinations for infants and children.

Several important milestones already have been reached in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases among infants and adults worldwide. Vaccines have drastically reduced infant death and disability caused by preventable diseases in the United States. In addition:

  • Through immunization, we can now protect infants and children from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases before age two.
  • In the 1950s, nearly every child developed measles, and unfortunately, some even died from this serious disease. Today, few physicians just out of medical school will ever see a case of measles during their careers.
  • In March 2005, CDC announced that rubella is no longer a major health threat to expectant mothers and their unborn children, thanks to a safe and effective vaccine, high vaccine coverage.
  • In September 2010, CDC announced that childhood immunization rates for vaccines routinely recommended for children remain at or near record highs.

Yet without diligent efforts to maintain immunization programs in the United States and to strengthen them worldwide, vaccine-preventable diseases will remain a threat to children. As illustrations, it’s only necessary to consider the 2010 California outbreak of whooping cough where over 8,000 cases were reported in the state and where there were 10 infant deaths, or measles, which takes the lives of more than 100,000 children globally each year. 

We should all be thankful for the development of vaccines that protect our children from many childhood diseases.  Years ago, as kids, we all knew that when one of us caught measles, chicken pox, mumps, and other illnesses, we’d be next!  Prior to development of a vaccine for polio, most children who contacted the disease have been affected for the remainder of their lives.   Now, we have the advantage of knowing that our little ones will not have to go through several of these diseases.  That’s a good thing for both children and parents.    Don’t take a chance with your children’s health by delaying getting the required vaccinations at the proper time.  Also, encourage your friends to be diligent about having their children receive their innoculations.   Thankfully, we live in an age where we can take advantage of medical research and technology, in order to stay healthy.  Let’s start our little ones off right! 

This observance begins on Saturday, April 23, the day after Good Friday, continuing through April 30th.  We wish everyone a safe and happy Easter week-end!  

Source: Centers for Disease Control