Skipping Vaccines Means More Whooping Cough
Pertussis Infections 23 Times More Likely Without Shot
POSTED: Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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Children of parents who refuse vaccines are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared to fully immunized children, according to a new study."This study helps dispel one of the commonly held beliefs among vaccine-refusing parents: that their children are not at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases," said lead author Jason Glanz of Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research. "It also shows that the decision to refuse immunizations could have important ramifications for the health of the entire community. Based on our analysis, we found that one in 10 additional whooping cough infections could have been prevented by immunization."The study was based on electronic health records, but did not look at why parents refused vaccines or any side effects from taking the shot. It just looked at immunizations and infections of pertussis, also known as whooping cough.Pertussis causes uncontrollable, violent coughing and can be deadly in infants, especially those under 2 months who are too young to be fully vaccinated. In 1976 there were just over 1,000 reported cases of pertussis in the U.S. By 2004, it climbed to nearly 26,000 cases, according to a news release on the study. Between 2000 and 2005 there were 140 deaths resulting from pertussis in the United States.The three-in-one DTaP vaccine that also protects against diphtheria and tetanus is usually given to fight whooping cough.The news release on the study did not say what percentage of non-vaccinated children got whooping cough, or what the rate would be for vaccinated children, though it did say the vaccine is thought to be at least 98 percent effective.The study will appear in the June 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
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