Parents Of New Babies Should Be Considered For Whooping Cough Booster, Say Experts

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127204348.htm (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127204348.htm)

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2008) — A booster vaccination for parents of new babies and other household members may be the most effective way of preventing the fatal form of whooping cough in young infants, say a group of paediatric intensive care doctors on the British Medical Journal website.

........
Doctors at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh report two fatal cases of invasive pertussis in unvaccinated young infants.
In the first case, a one-month old boy presented to hospital with a five-day history of cough, runny nose and difficulty feeding. Both parents, and an elder sibling, reported coughing spells with vomiting in the previous two weeks.

The sibling was fully vaccinated. There was no record of the parents' childhood vaccination status but the mother received a pertussis booster in 1986.

The child was transferred to intensive care, but despite maximum therapy, died within 24 hours.

In the second case, a six-week old girl presented to hospital with a five-day history of cough and breathlessness. Her mother had a persistent cough for more than two weeks. The mother had received all her childhood immunisations including pertussis, there was no record of the father's pertussis immunisation status.

The child died within 30 hours despite maximum therapy. The patient's mother subsequently tested positive for pertussis infection.

This report demonstrates the devastating course of invasive pertussis in young infants, say the authors.

[Mommy0406]

(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127204348.htm)

In the second case, a six-week old girl presented to hospital with a five-day history of cough and breathlessness. Her mother had a persistent cough for more than two weeks. The mother had received all her childhood immunisations including pertussis, there was no record of the father's pertussis immunisation status.

The child died within 30 hours despite maximum therapy. The patient's mother subsequently tested positive for pertussis infection.


I was under the impression that by the time the initial cold symptom stage was gone and the cough stage was present that the person wasn't infective anymore and wouldn't test positive in swabs either. Given the persistent cough for more than 2 weeks already at the time of testing, how did they get a positive test for pertussis?

Not that I'm doubting that that's actually what the infant had, but it just makes me wonder.. I'd also like to know what their definition of maximum treatment is? IV antibiotics which would've just worsened things? You can bet that SA wasn't part of the treatment. :disbelief:

AND, this is operating under the assumption that had the mother recently had a booster of a highly ineffective vaccine that she wouldn't have gotten pertussis.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Yes the person is, and the bacteria can hang around for another four weeks. The PCR test is the most accurate...

[Gitti]

How is it possible that both children lived at home for 5 days with the symptoms and once they were admitted to the hospital they died within 24-30 hours?

Was death the effect of 'maximum therapy'?

SA (sodium ascorbate) and bm (breast milk) could only have improved that outcome. And I don't mean "in addition to" the maximum therapy but instead.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

We all know that antibiotics after pertussis make the symptoms worse. I put a whole lot of stuff up at Mothering on that. I suppose I better go and retrieve it... sigh.

[cartersmom]

I thought that the pertussis vax did not prevent transmission??? Or does this not apply to the booster?? If not then how would it help for adults to get vaccinated to prevent their children from contracting WC??

[Sakura]

Both parents, and an elder sibling, reported coughing spells with vomiting in the previous two weeks.

The sibling was fully vaccinated. There was no record of the parents' childhood vaccination status but the mother received a pertussis booster in 1986.


The fully vaccinated sibling had pertussis.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I thought that the pertussis vax did not prevent transmission??? Or does this not apply to the booster?? If not then how would it help for adults to get vaccinated to prevent their children from contracting WC??

Pertussis vaccine doesn't prevent transmission, period. BUT.. note that there have been no studies on it, to find out :p But I know the vaccine doesn't prevent transmission, because for the last few decades, :old: whooping cough has spread like wildfire, through schools with a 90% vaccination rate, and ironically, the UNvaccinated, are often the ones to get it last. :giggle:

and of course, when THAT was pointed out to the Health Authorities in this country, it was unsubstantiated anecdote. I told them that if they would study all the school rolls and children's vaccination status, they would see that it was irrefutable fact. :eek: but, we can't do that, can we???

:ride:

[cartersmom]

Pertussis vaccine doesn't prevent transmission, period. BUT.. note that there have been no studies on it, to find out :p But I know the vaccine doesn't prevent transmission, because for the last few decades, :old: whooping cough has spread like wildfire, through schools with a 90% vaccination rate, and ironically, the UNvaccinated, are often the ones to get it last. :giggle:

and of course, when THAT was pointed out to the Health Authorities in this country, it was unsubstantiated anecdote. I told them that if they would study all the school rolls and children's vaccination status, they would see that it was irrefutable fact. :eek: but, we can't do that, can we???

:ride:

That's what I thought so why do they suggest adults get vaccinated to prevent their children from getting it?? Or do "they" say that it does prevent transmission even though there is no evidence to suggest that it does.

[Spy]

Based on the original vaccine formulation it it assumed that it will prevent transmission. It was much later that a few studies have been done to show that it doesn't. But your regular doctor is not likely to read these when his textbook once said that it prevents transmission.

Applies to a whole lot of things about vaccines, which were originally assumed and most of them never yet refuted 'officially'.

[MinorityView]

But why did they ever make the assumption? It is a vaccine against the toxin, not the bacteria, right?

[Sakura]

The old whole cell vs. current acellular vaccine is my guess.