WA. Health Officials Push Whooping Cough Vaccination

WA. Health Officials Push Whooping Cough Vaccination

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New America Media, News Report, Viji Sundaram, Posted: Jul 13, 2012

Image: Natalie has become the poster child for state-led efforts to combat the spread of whooping cough.

SEATTLE, Wash. -– No one will deny that 21-month-old Natalie’s dimpled smile is delightful, but even though it's been months since she was discharged from hospital, the toddler is still suffering from complications due to pertussis (or whooping cough as it is commonly known).

Health officials in Washington have made her a posterchild for their campaign on the importance of getting everyone -- infants, adolescents, and adults -- vaccinated against the disease.

“Natalie’s story is just one example of why we have put so much emphasis on the need to get infants and young children vaccinated,” noted Dr. Maxine Hayes, state health officer with the Washington State Department of Health, during a jointly held media roundtable with her agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 27. “But this is something everybody — even teens and adults — need to be protected against,” added Hayes.

The event, organized by New America Media, was set up to drive home to ethnic communities the importance of getting vaccinated against whooping cough. Twelve outlets from local ethnic media participated in the event.

Pertussis is known as whooping cough because of the “whooping” sound that comes when someone with the infection gasps for air after coughing fits. The number of cases of whooping cough is at levels not seen since the 1940s in Washington. And local health officials worry that these numbers will continue to grow, especially among young children, who are more vulnerable to the disease.

“It’s a miracle we haven’t had an infant death,” Dr. Hayes noted, adding: “But it’s only a matter of time.”

Around 450 cases have been reported in King County so far this year. In Washington State, 2,786 cases have been reported in the first half of 2012, which is more than 10 times the total number of cases reported in all of 2011. Officials have declared an epidemic in Washington, the first state in the nation to do so this year.

Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, medical epidemiologist for Public Health–Seattle and King County, said every county in Washington has been impacted by pertussis.

“The number of pertussis cases we can count is just the tip of the iceberg,” he asserted, noting that in King County there may be even more cases that have gone unreported because many adults and teens have mild symptoms and don’t seek medical attention.

The bacteria that cause this disease is spread by sneezing or coughing, as well as through direct contact with an infected person. The disease often begins with symptoms that can be easily mistaken for common illnesses like a cold, noted Stacey Martin, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Around 80 percent of the time the disease is transmitted to infants from family members and caregivers, Martin said, which is why it is important that every family member get vaccinated, not just infants or young children. This includes parents, grandparents, nannies, babysitters – and anyone else who will be caring for a baby.

“It’s one of the most commonly occurring diseases that can be prevented by vaccines,” Martin pointed out.

The whooping cough vaccine for children six years and younger is called DTaP. It provides protection against not only whooping cough, but also diphtheria and tetanus.

At two months, children should start the five-shot series of the DTaP vaccine, with the last shot being given before a child enters school, at 4 through 6 years of age.

Everyone 11 years old or older should receive a single dose of the whooping cough booster shot, called TDaP . This is especially important for pregnant women and those in close contact with infants. TDaP should be given as soon as possible and no matter when someone got their last tetanus booster.

State health officials at the briefing were not able to give an exact racial and ethnic breakdown of the disease. There is a possible increase in Hispanics, and they emphasized, “every community is vulnerable.”

They also purchased more than 27,000 doses of the Tdap vaccine for the state’s uninsured and underinsured adults.

Community health clinics and some pharmacies offer the shot at a discounted price of about $15, which can be waived if you can’t afford to pay. Check with your local health department about where this vaccine is available in your communities. The regular cost can run anywhere between $60 and $100, which is covered by most health insurance plans. Washington state provides whooping cough vaccines for all children through age 18. Children can get vaccinated at their regular health care provider’s office.

The Washington State Department of Health has translated materials on its website.
Public health officials of King County, which is where Seattle is located, also has translated information about pertussis in many languages on the web.

For more information about the disease and how to get yourself protected, go to the state’s department of public health website at http://www.doh.wa.gov/. 
 

Comments

 
Anonymous

Posted Jul 13 2012

CDC, public health officials in most states that are experiencing pertussis/whooping cough outbreaks and most recent media articles acknowledge that these outbreaks are not being spread by those who are not up-to-date on vaccination.

Actually a 2010 CA study shows that the majority of cases of pertussis/whooping cough were among fully the vaccinated and most cases occurred in children before they would be due for the required dose to enter middle school. One might reasonably conclude that this vaccine has simply failed, in that it is not capable of producing even short term immunity to Pertussis. Consider this, most cases of pertussis occurred in children between the ages of 8 and 12 that were up-to-date on the vaccine.

In the California study it was noted, [Witt had expected to see the illnesses center around unvaccinated kids, knowing they are more vulnerable to the disease."We started dissecting the data. What was very surprising was the majority of cases were in fully vaccinated children. That's what started catching our attention," said Witt.] http://tinyurl.com/84skqqh

For a commentary on Whooping Cough Outbreaks and Vaccine Failures go to; http://tinyurl.com/72sat3z

National Vaccine Information Center - Your Health, Your Family, Your Choice£

Anonymous

Posted Jul 13 2012

Why do these articles only mention vaccinations as THE solution to our immune systems being able to defend against various bacteria and viruses? It's a huge disservice to mankind to keep perpetuating this religion. Our bodies are FAR more complicated than just VACCINES, VACCINES, VACCINES, VACCINES !!!!

Why don't doctors stress the basics before chemicals?

Why don't these articles stress the need for ingesting all 90-some-odd vitamins/minerals/amino acids?

Why don't these articles stress the need for breastfeeding?

Why don't these articles stress the need for avoiding toxic, processed, GMO, sugared foods?

Why don't these articles stress the need for exercise?

Why don't these articles stress the need for getting plenty of sleep?

The point being, ALL of the above-mentioned items are far more important than vaccines (if vaccines can even be considered important at all - at least in a positive way).

Stressing vaccines over the BASICS of our bodies speaks volumes regarding the true intentions of these "experts" who all have a vested interest in keeping everyone unhealthy so they can then provide endless "treatments" for the masses.

Indiana Nurse

Posted Jul 14 2012

As a former public health nurse, I am very interested in this subject. My first question is how many of the individuals involved in this outbreak were vaccinated??? From the data I have been viewing, most involved in these outbreaks are fully vaccinated including boosters. My second question is why keep vaccinating when it is very obvious that many of these reported cases followed that plan and still came down sick. Please fill in the gaps on this article with necessary facts like how many were vaccinated. For you to so strongly recommend your readers to run out and get this vaccine without giving them the entire information needed to make such a serious decision is disheartening. Vaccines come wi very serious risks and should never be consented to carelessly. Readers, do your own research before vaccinating. There is a very serious downside to them. Read the package insert that comes with each one before consenting and get all the facts before rushing out to have yourself injected.

Anonymous

Posted Jul 15 2012

The CDC is supposed to be the leading authority in diseases, yet in their latest article, BARELY even mentions the main issue here.
"Patti says in the email, "We also want to vaccinate everyone else who will be caring for the infant, creating a circle of protection. This includes dads, grandparents, older siblings, nannies, childcare workers, etc."
She speaks about how great the statistics are among children, with only a partial sentence dedicated to saying anything about the 92% of adults who are not vaccinated. The Whooping Cough reservoir.
Again, DOH, CDC and any other "expert" on Pertussis: When the vaccine manufacturer made the vaccine safer in the 1990's, it also reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as how long it lasted.
This information was never shared with the public, so they went along thinking they were still protected if they had that vaccination. The truth is, that since around the year 2000, everyone who had received the vaccine was no longer protected and that is when this great Whooping Cough reservoir began. Add to that the unavailability of a booster shot until the year 2005, and again, not sharing it with the public, only healthcare providers.
Then in 2010, California has the worst epidemic in recent history, killing 9 babies in the process. Still they say nothing to the rest of the nation about the Tdap, only stressing childhood vaccine and those around babies. That leaves out the population that need the vaccine- teens, adults without children, senior citizens, etc.. Most adults do not know they are not protected. This is the number one cause of these epidemics, yet they still do not say it.
AGAIN, 90% OF ADULTS NATIONWIDE HAVE NOT HAD THE BOOSTER SHOT BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT KNOW THIER CHILDHOOD VACCINE HAS WORN OFF! SEND THEM A NOTICE AND
END THIS PREVENTABLE DISEASE FOREVER!
Chelsey Charles' baby Kaliah died here in August of 2011, and still nothing. We went on the radio to tell people about the epidemic and the Department of Health came on after to tell everyone that they had expected it to be a bad year for Pertussis. If that was the case, why didn’t they warn us? Kaliah may still be alive if they had. They still were not going to warn us in April, until we forced their hand by threatening them with bad press.
They would not call the CDC, the CDC would not come, they spent more money trying to keep us quiet than on actual education and outreach. There was a whole team devoted to making sure we didn't make waves.
Millions upon millions of dollars have been spent fighting this disease. If they spent the money to send out a Public Health warning to everyone, it could be over. I did the math and told the vaccine manufacturer that if they would send out a notice, they would stand to make billions in profit. Sounds of Pertussis, a branch of Sanofi Pasteur, has been spending a fortune on this for years now. They could recoup all of that if they sent out a notice that warned their vaccine was not the same as it used to be.

Please be advised now, that the Tdap vaccine everyone is getting right now is not long lasting either. They say you can only have one dose per lifetime, but it actually only lasts around 5 years as well. So, in 5 years, we are all going to need another booster shot, but who is going to tell us, and when are they going to tell us?
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/212267/0/Whooping-Cough-Is-On-Pace-To-Break-Yearly-Record
Find out more at:
http://kennethaskorner.weebly.com/kennethas-korner-updates.html

Anonymous

Posted Jul 15 2012

The CDC is supposed to be the leading authority in diseases, yet in their latest article, BARELY even mentions the main issue here.
"Patti says in the email, "We also want to vaccinate everyone else who will be caring for the infant, creating a circle of protection. This includes dads, grandparents, older siblings, nannies, childcare workers, etc."
She speaks about how great the statistics are among children, with only a partial sentence dedicated to saying anything about the 92% of adults who are not vaccinated. The Whooping Cough reservoir.
Again, DOH, CDC and any other "expert" on Pertussis: When the vaccine manufacturer made the vaccine safer in the 1990's, it also reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as how long it lasted.
This information was never shared with the public, so they went along thinking they were still protected if they had that vaccination. The truth is, that since around the year 2000, everyone who had received the vaccine was no longer protected and that is when this great Whooping Cough reservoir began. Add to that the unavailability of a booster shot until the year 2005, and again, not sharing it with the public, only healthcare providers.
Then in 2010, California has the worst epidemic in recent history, killing 9 babies in the process. Still they say nothing to the rest of the nation about the Tdap, only stressing childhood vaccine and those around babies. That leaves out the population that need the vaccine- teens, adults without children, senior citizens, etc.. Most adults do not know they are not protected. This is the number one cause of these epidemics, yet they still do not say it.
AGAIN, 90% OF ADULTS NATIONWIDE HAVE NOT HAD THE BOOSTER SHOT BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT KNOW THIER CHILDHOOD VACCINE HAS WORN OFF! SEND THEM A NOTICE AND
END THIS PREVENTABLE DISEASE FOREVER!
Chelsey Charles' baby Kaliah died here in August of 2011, and still nothing. We went on the radio to tell people about the epidemic and the Department of Health came on after to tell everyone that they had expected it to be a bad year for Pertussis. If that was the case, why didn’t they warn us? Kaliah may still be alive if they had. They still were not going to warn us in April, until we forced their hand by threatening them with bad press.
They would not call the CDC, the CDC would not come, they spent more money trying to keep us quiet than on actual education and outreach. There was a whole team devoted to making sure we didn't make waves.
Millions upon millions of dollars have been spent fighting this disease. If they spent the money to send out a Public Health warning to everyone, it could be over. I did the math and told the vaccine manufacturer that if they would send out a notice, they would stand to make billions in profit. Sounds of Pertussis, a branch of Sanofi Pasteur, has been spending a fortune on this for years now. They could recoup all of that if they sent out a notice that warned their vaccine was not the same as it used to be.

Please be advised now, that the Tdap vaccine everyone is getting right now is not long lasting either. They say you can only have one dose per lifetime, but it actually only lasts around 5 years as well. So, in 5 years, we are all going to need another booster shot, but who is going to tell us, and when are they going to tell us?
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/212267/0/Whooping-Cough-Is-On-Pace-To-Break-Yearly-Record
Find out more at:
http://kennethaskorner.weebly.com/kennethas-korner-updates.htmlWe have edited our original Change.org petition to read DOH instead of CDC in the headline, and are using it instead of the newer version as it is the same law and already has nearly 600 signatures. Please send to everyone you know so we can commemorate the 27 days of Kaliah's life with a real change in the way epidemics are handled in the future. If we would have been warned sooner, Kaliah would still be here. Please share and sign for Chelsey and Kaliah, and all of the other families that have been devastated by a preventable disease! Do not let more epidemics go unreported!

http://www.change.org/petitions/require-doh-send-notice-to-citizens-in-epidemic-area-kaliah-s-bill

Anonymous

Posted Jul 25 2012

There have been many death....especially in infants. Pertussis is an epidemic and we almost lost our precious grand daughter to this preventable disease. She was two weeks old when she was hospitalized with it. She was born completely healthy and all her family were immunized. Someone she came in contact with shortly after birth wasn't. You can't imagine the devastation until you live it. Please get vaccinated.

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