# Incidence of whooping cough highest in 50 years; consequence of anti-vax? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 19, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771 "2012-07-19T20:51:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/21 "2012-07-20T22:14:27Z")
I’ve never had the same doctor for more than a year or so. But **AndyLee** said he told the doctor that he hadn’t had an inoculation in 20 years and the doctor just shrugged it off. To me, that means find a new doctor. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/22 "2012-07-20T22:44:16Z")
Is there any harm in getting an extra vaccination? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/23 "2012-07-20T23:04:45Z")
They offered a whooping cough booster to new parents when my son was born, and recommended grandparents or any other adults who would be in regular contact with the child get the booster too. I was shocked to read this week that anti-vaxers have been claiming the Australian government’s immunisation incentive payment by registering as conscientious objectors. Who on earth thought it was a good idea to write an exception into that law? The money is supposed to reward parents who have their child fully immunised on schedule; it’s not supposed to be a handout for everyone who has a child and a lack of common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/24 "2012-07-21T04:59:53Z")
The increasing rates have been a concern for a couple years now. This is a Dec 2010 article about it. In the article are graphics with US historical rates. > **[Immunized People Getting Whooping Cough, Experts Spar Over New Strain](https://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/dec/14/immunized-people-getting-whooping-cough-experts-sp/)** > > Matthew Jacob Bryce was born a healthy baby boy, so when he showed signs of a cold at just two weeks, his parents knew something more might be wrong. \*"Health officials across the country are trumpeting pertussis vaccinations, but a four-month investigation by KPBS and the Watchdog Institute, a nonprofit investigative center based at San Diego State University, has found that **many people who have come down with whooping cough have been immunized.** Two of the world’s most respected experts on the disease disagree about why there are such high numbers of people who are getting sick. Dr. James Cherry, a prominent researcher at UCLA, says **increased awareness of whooping cough has led to more reports** of it. However, Dr. Fritz Mooi, a well-known Dutch scientist who has been studying mutations of the pertussis bacteria for 15 years, says **a more virulent strain of bacteria is contributing to outbreaks.**"\* (Bolding mine) \*"• For pertussis cases in which vaccination histories are known, between 44 and 83 percent were of people who had been immunized, according to data from nine California counties with high infection rates. In San Diego County, more than two thirds of the people in this group were up to date on their immunizations. • Health officials in Ohio and Texas, two states also experiencing whooping cough outbreaks, report that of all cases, 75 and 67.5 percent, respectively, reported having received a pertussis vaccination." \* ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/25 "2012-07-21T13:53:10Z")
> [@AndyLee](#): > > I heard on the radio it was because you need boosters. I can’t recall getting any shots after I was 10. My mother wasn’t the most stable person so she probably never followed through. > > I asked my doctor about it when I was 30 and he told me not to worry, I probably had what I was suppose to, but I don’t know. > > How would one find out? I could ask my mom but as I said, she’s not mentally all together so it’d probably be 50/50 if I had them or not. If you can remember or find out who your pediatrician’s name was, you may still be able to get your records. Or your current doctor can run blood tests. (I did both of these when my boss came down with chickenpox when I was 30. Of course, the chickenpox vaccine didn’t exist when I was of the normal age to receive it, and I wasn’t otherwise immune, as the blood test revealed.) Why don’t people get copies of their records when they switch doctors? That’s just silly if there’s anything your new doctor needs to know. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/26 "2012-07-21T14:08:58Z")
News about increasing outbreaks of pertussis serves as a reminder that [vaccines are not only needed in childhood](http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/vaccines.html): _“The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated. 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.”_ Adults can help stop the disease through [immunization](http://www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/vaccine-education-center/tdap-vaccine.pdf) which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria. Work is also ongoing into developing more effective pertussis vaccines. ---
**Author:** ![QuercusMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8baadc/32.png) [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/27 "2012-07-24T13:06:48Z")
My parents, who are in their late 60s, got pertussis last winter. It was basically a bad cough that lasted a really long time, but wasn’t life-threatening. It’s definitely going around, and not just in kids. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/28 "2012-07-24T14:17:56Z")
I coughed so hard I passed out. I coughed so hard I broke a rib. It was more than “just a bad cough” for me; it basically wiped out an entire winter. I don’t believe it was life threatening for me, but it definitely can kill. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/29 "2012-07-24T14:19:33Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I coughed so hard I passed out. I coughed so hard I broke a rib. It was more than “just a bad cough” for me; it basically wiped out an entire winter. I don’t believe it was life threatening for me, but it definitely can kill. :eek: I’m pretty sure I got a booster last year…but I think I’ll g’head and call my doc right now to make sure. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/30 "2012-07-24T14:45:15Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > You should ask your doctor for a DTaP shot. It’s not expensive and will vaccinate you against whooping cough and tetanus. I got a booster recently (at age 34) because I hadn’t had a tetanus or pertussis booster since I was 18. If you haven’t had any shots since you were 10, I’d get a new doctor. The [DTaP vaccine](http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/dtap-and-tdap-vaccines) is for children up to age 7. Adults should ask their doctor for the [Tdap vaccine](http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/dtap-and-tdap-vaccines). The difference is that the Tdap formula has smaller doses of the diptheria and pertussis vaccines than the DTaP. This is because the larger doses tend to cause more side effects in adults. (They cleverly use upper case letters to indicate larger doses and rearrange the letters to avoid confusion.) As a matter of fact, you don’t have to go to the doctor. Most large pharmacies are now providing the vaccinations on a walk-in basis. The last time I checked, Walgreens had the cheapest price, but check in your own area. The “T” is for “tetanus.” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/31 "2012-07-24T21:02:10Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Is there any harm in getting an extra vaccination? No more than the harm in getting it in the first place, which is a small chance of an adverse reaction. I passed out the last time I got a vaccination (never happened before, and I don’t have any problems with needles or blood normally. I did get several vaccinations in quick succession for international travel, so it might have been one of the others). Luckily, the nurse was on the ball, or I might have hurt myself falling off the table. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/32 "2012-07-27T10:36:03Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > I am not defending the anti-vaccination folks (with whom I disagree strongly), but [this article](http://www.ajc.com/health/cdc-whooping-cough-rising-1480942.html) says specifically that anti-vaccination sentiment does _not_ seem to be the source of the problem: I think it’s quite likely that the anti-vax crowd plays a role in this by providing a source of pertussis to constantly test the vaccine. By selective pressure, the pertussis strains than can beet the vaccine become more prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/33 "2012-07-29T14:43:58Z")
Part of the problem is that anti-vaxxers have been pushing for a less reactive DTaP vaccine as part of their paranoia about minor vaccine reactions such as fever and redness at the injection site. The vaccine causes fewer side effects but it may be less effective. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/34 "2012-07-29T15:36:36Z")
Blaming this on the anti-vax crowd is just as “un-sciency” as the anti-vaxers’ position. Just because the controversy at the moment is about anti-vaxers and herd immunity, doesn’t mean that that’s the answer to any increase in the disease. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/35 "2012-07-29T15:45:30Z")
It sounds like the CDC thinks its several factors combining to create an increase. 1. A new vaccine/booster that may not be as effective as the old vaccine 1a) as LavenderBlue points out, this is partly because of the anti-vax movement pressing for a new vaccine 2. Evolution of the virus itself making it more robust 3. Anti-vax movement causing less herd immunity, so #1 and #2 have more impact than they would. I’d be shocked if the anti-vax movement were not a contributing factor, but apparently, it isn’t the only factor as many vaccinated people are coming down with Pertussis. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771/36 "2012-07-29T16:23:43Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Blaming this on the anti-vax crowd is just as “un-sciency” as the anti-vaxers’ position. > > Just because the controversy at the moment is about anti-vaxers and herd immunity, doesn’t mean that that’s the answer to any increase in the disease. The anti-vaxxers are not the only answer here. But they’re clearly part of the problem. As prior posters have pointed out, some protection is better than no protection. By encouraging people to avoid vaccines altogether the anti-vaxxers are hurting efforts to stop the spread of pertussis. They’re also part of the problem because they oppose real efforts to develop more effective vaccines and spread misinformation about vaccine preventable diseases. Let’s not get caught up in the both sides are equally culpable fallacy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidence-of-whooping-cough-highest-in-50-years-consequence-of-anti-vax/628771.md?page=1)