Don’t let whooping cough ruin the holidays for you & your loved ones!
Pertussis complications are highest in infants under one year old. There’s also a potential danger to seniors and those with chronic ill health.
PREVENTION:
** Cocooning Strategy: Adults and older children often serve as the primary source of infection in households with young infants. (Even milder cases in older individuals can transmit the disease to susceptible infants, especially those who are not immunized.) Vaccinate close contact with newborns to create a protective barrier.
** Good hygiene: Wash hands often. Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
** Stay updated: Immunity wanes over time, so boosters are crucial.
** While many other diseases children are vaccinated against are decreasing frequently, cases of whooping cough have increased since 1990. This is likely due to the lower effectiveness of older vaccines (due to the emergence of new strains of the bacteria that cause the disease); decreased protection from the immunity in adults and adolescents as the effect of the vaccine wears off; parents opting out of vaccinating their children; and increased reporting of whooping cough by doctors.
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Two types of combination vaccines include protection against whooping cough:
1. DTaP
2. Tdap
The letter “T” in DTaP and Tdap shows they also help protect against tetanus. The letter “D/d” in DTaP and Tdap shows they also help protect against diphtheria.
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For more info about getting vaccinated visit: https://www.ochd.org/infectious-disease-services/
To learn more about Pertussis visit:
https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/php/surveillance/index.html