Don't you just hate it when what a childhood disease that you thought was no longer a threat makes a come back? Me, too! But that's what's happening. Some people vaccinate and some people don't and that's their choice, but currently we have these pockets of unvaccinated children who are catching, and some even dying from, whooping cough.
California is in the middle of a full-blown whooping cough outbreak. It's the state's worst outbreak in 70 years and as of November 26, the state had 9,935 reported cases.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Hey rich people, vaccinate your kids and stop being irresponsible
Here are a few things you should know about whooping cough:
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Whooping cough, or pertussis, is caused by bacteria and cases peak every three to five years.
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It's especially serious in infants, who are more likely to catch it. Nearly 50 percent of all children under 1 year old who catch whooping cough need to be hospitalized and 2 percent of those will die.
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Children aren't due for their whooping cough vaccine (TDaP) until they are 2 months old, so the CDC recommends it be given to pregnant women so they can pass the immunity to their unborn baby.
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The vaccine effectively prevents whooping cough but its effectiveness weakens over about 5 years, making the population more vulnerable to the bacteria's cyclical nature without regular boosters.
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It's most important that pregnant women get vaccinated for whooping cough because they are their unborn child's only defense against the disease.
Whooping cough, pertussis, is preventable. We need the vaccine and the boosters. If you are a pregnant, make sure that you get vaccinated. Just because you are an adult does not mean that you are not susceptible. Believe me, I know because I was contracted whopping cough when my oldest was 5 years old, just about the time she started kindergarten and my vaccine wore off. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Image via Joe Schlabotnik/Flickr