Unprotected adults, teens putting infants at risk of pertussis: Knowledge Driven Revolution

[KDR: They have the legislation to force vaccines into everyone in Canada, all they need is a good excuse.]

Adults and teenagers who have not received booster shots against pertussis or whooping cough are putting newborn babies at risk of contracting the nasty disease, which can be fatal in children under one year of age, experts say.

Studies being presented at a major infectious diseases conference here show cases of whooping cough are on the rise, despite a new vaccine that can boost the waning immunity of teens and adults - ensuring they don't bring the bug home to baby.

"We've got something that can potentially make a dent in this disease, which is continually plaguing the kids, resurfacing every couple of years as an epidemic," infectious diseases expert Dr. Jeffrey Duchin said of the new vaccine, designed as a booster for adolescents and adults.

"A lot of people don't realize it's out there."

Dr. Irini Daskalaki, a clinician and researcher at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, said it is clear how rates of infection and deaths in young children can be reduced.

"Everyone should receive a booster. This booster will help decrease the burden of disease and with less whooping cough around, the young infants would have less possibility to be exposed," said Daskalaki, a co-author of another of the pertussis studies presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes a persistent and debilitating cough that can linger for weeks in adults.

It gets its street name from the "whooping" sound heard when a person tries to catch a breath in the midst of a characteristically severe coughing fit.

It's an unpleasant disease in adults. Frequent and harsh coughing bouts can lead to ruptured blood vessels in the face or the eye, cracked ribs, herniated discs and punctured lungs.

But it's even harder on young babies, who often end up hospitalized and may see a doctor two or three times before the illness resolves. It is estimated that one in 200 children who catch pertussis in the first year of life will die from the infection.

One study presented at the conference showed that in 160 cases of infant pertussis in San Francisco, 77 per cent were hospitalized and 14 per cent developed pneumonia. One baby died.

The disease used to be rampant, before a vaccine was invented in the 1940s. Rates dropped dramatically once it was in wide use.

But the vaccine's protection wears off as children reach adolescence. And with new people to infect, the disease follows a wax-and-wane cycle that could be avoided, Duchin said.

"The idea behind the new vaccine is: Stop the cycling. Get it at a low level, let's keep it at a low level. Keep adults and older kids from getting pertussis and transmitting it to the young ones."

The study he and his colleagues in the public health department of Seattle, Wash., presented here showed the in 62 per cent of pertussis cases involving an infant, an older household member was probably the source of the infection.

"The newborns don't come out of the hospital with pertussis, they get it from older people," Duchin said.

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HOME Canadians Should Pay NOT to be Poisoned: NDP V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	Unprotected adults, teens putting infants at risk of pertussis: studies HELEN BRANSWELL - CP November 08, 2006 [KDR: They have the legislation to force vaccines into everyone in Canada, all they need is a good excuse.] Adults and teenagers who have not received booster shots against pertussis or whooping cough are putting newborn babies at risk of contracting the nasty disease, which can be fatal in children under one year of age, experts say. Studies being presented at a major infectious diseases conference here show cases of whooping cough are on the rise, despite a new vaccine that can boost the waning immunity of teens and adults - ensuring they don't bring the bug home to baby. "We've got something that can potentially make a dent in this disease, which is continually plaguing the kids, resurfacing every couple of years as an epidemic," infectious diseases expert Dr. Jeffrey Duchin said of the new vaccine, designed as a booster for adolescents and adults. "A lot of people don't realize it's out there." Dr. Irini Daskalaki, a clinician and researcher at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, said it is clear how rates of infection and deaths in young children can be reduced. "Everyone should receive a booster. This booster will help decrease the burden of disease and with less whooping cough around, the young infants would have less possibility to be exposed," said Daskalaki, a co-author of another of the pertussis studies presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes a persistent and debilitating cough that can linger for weeks in adults. It gets its street name from the "whooping" sound heard when a person tries to catch a breath in the midst of a characteristically severe coughing fit. It's an unpleasant disease in adults. Frequent and harsh coughing bouts can lead to ruptured blood vessels in the face or the eye, cracked ribs, herniated discs and punctured lungs. But it's even harder on young babies, who often end up hospitalized and may see a doctor two or three times before the illness resolves. It is estimated that one in 200 children who catch pertussis in the first year of life will die from the infection. One study presented at the conference showed that in 160 cases of infant pertussis in San Francisco, 77 per cent were hospitalized and 14 per cent developed pneumonia. One baby died. The disease used to be rampant, before a vaccine was invented in the 1940s. Rates dropped dramatically once it was in wide use. But the vaccine's protection wears off as children reach adolescence. And with new people to infect, the disease follows a wax-and-wane cycle that could be avoided, Duchin said. "The idea behind the new vaccine is: Stop the cycling. Get it at a low level, let's keep it at a low level. Keep adults and older kids from getting pertussis and transmitting it to the young ones." The study he and his colleagues in the public health department of Seattle, Wash., presented here showed the in 62 per cent of pertussis cases involving an infant, an older household member was probably the source of the infection. "The newborns don't come out of the hospital with pertussis, they get it from older people," Duchin said. Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
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Unprotected adults, teens putting infants at risk of pertussis: studies