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View Full Version : Just how effective IS the pertussis vaccine in Australia?



kiah
02-05-09, 05:22 AM
Well I was getting so sick of this attack on non vaccinated children being 'killers' and spreading disease. People have accused us of using 'false' information, and how we're endangering the community for not supporting herd immunity. So I put together little 'study' using a few Aust. govt./health sites to try to break it down. I'll add all my links first, then what I calculated from that. I know there are soooo many other factors which I haven't included, I just wated to make it as simple and straight forward as possible for a friend.



Statistics and Data from official Govt./Medical Websites



Pubmed.com
The pertussis vaccine has a 78% effectiveness rate.



Health.gov.au
Pertussis vaccination rate for 5 yr olds in Aust. Is 88.1% (which is the end of the childhood schedule).



Nwqphc.com.au
Pertussis vaccine lifespan is 6 – 10yrs.



“Mothers are the primary source of pertussis infection in infants...42%...”



news.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/)
“...the majority of whooping cough cases in the wollongong region last month (http://www.news.com.au/)were (http://www.news.com.au/)vaccinated (http://www.news.com.au/)..” (http://www.news.com.au/)
(I didn't see a link to the actual official documents for this, so I tend not to take news stories as fact unless I can find the statistical data, will investigate some more). (http://www.news.com.au/)



Abs.gov.au (http://www.news.com.au/)
Australia population for 2008 is 21 million (21,000,000) (http://www.news.com.au/)
0-14yrs = 3,949,000 (http://www.news.com.au/)
15-64yrs = 14,439,000 (http://www.news.com.au/)
65+yrs = 2,811,000 (http://www.news.com.au/)



spgn.com.au
For the years 2005/2006
10% of pertussis cases were in people aged under 20 yrs old.
20% of pertussis cases were in people aged 20 – 34 yrs old.
70% of pertussis cases were in people aged over 35 years.



Health.gov.au
Year and Reported Cases of Pertussis in Australia.
Shows a pattern where the number of cases increases every ¾ years, then decreases again, which is the natural pattern of pertussis.
Eg.
In 2006 there were 10,994 reported cases of pertussis in Australia.
In 2007 there were 5,343 reported cases of pertussis in Australia..



Here is What I calculated from the evidence



Pertussis Vaccination schedule has an effectiveness of approximately 78% (or less), and an uptake rate of 88.1% by 5 years old (the end of the childhood schedule).



There are approximately 4 million (4,000,000) children in Australia aged up to 14 years old.
Therefore...
~ 3,524,000 are Vaccinated according to the schedule. (actually less because babies aren't vaccinated).
~ 2,748,720 are immune (through vaccination)
~ 1,251,280 are not immune (either through ineffectiveness of vaccine or lack of vaccine). (actually more to include the babies who can't be vaccinated).



Almost 1 in 4 Children who are vaccinated won't be covered by the vaccine.



By age 11-15 years old, the vaccine will have worn off, and the child will no longer be immune.



There are 21 million people in Australia. Of these, over 17 million are over the age of 15 years.
If no one ever received any boosters the entire adult population would be un-protected.
Meaning...
~ 2,748,720 immune (through vaccination) children would be the ONLY people covered in Australia.
~ 18,251,280 Australian's would NOT be immune.
~ ONLY 13% of Australia would be immune (through vaccination).



There are no current statistics for the adult uptake of the pertussis booster vaccine. But lets use a 50% rate as an example.
There are 17 million Australians over the age of 15 years.
50% of 17 million is 8.5 million (8,500,000). With a success rate of 78% (or less)....
~ 6,630,000 adults would be immune (through vaccination), this would need to repeated every 10 years to maintain this rate.
~ 9,378,720 people in Australia would be immune (through vaccination).
~ 11,621,280 people in Australia would not be immune (due to ineffectiveness of vaccine or choice).



IF 100% of the Australian popluation did vaccinate (which is impossible in reality due to health reasons and certain religions).....
~16,380,000 would be immune (through vaccination)
~ 4,638,000 would not be immune (through ineffectiveness of vaccine).



In 2006, there were 10,994 reported cases of pertussis.
~ This is .05 of the entire Australian population.
~ 1,099 cases were in people aged under 20 years.
~ 2,198 cases were in people aged 20-34 years.
~ 7,695 cases were in people aged over 35 years.



Herd Immunity for Whooping Cough needs to be 90-94% of the population. Even if 100% of the Australian population vaccinated, due to the ineffectiveness of the vaccine that still would not be sufficient to provide herd immunity.
The vaccine does not stop transmission of the disease, even a vaccinated mother can still be a carrier to an infant.
100% of the population cannot be vaccinated because some people are actually allergic to the vaccines and/or have medical reasons which would prevent them from being able to have the vaccines.
EVERY person visiting Australia would have to be effectively vaccinated also to stop introducing the disease.
Also, newborns who aren't vaccinated or babies who aren't fully vaccinated would lower the percentage even lower.



The Vaccines need to be more effective and contain less harmful ingredients which prevent so many parents from trusting them.


If an average class has 30 kids
Then 88.1% are vaccinated
= 3 - 4 kids not vaccinated - could be due to medical reasons, religion, philosophical, etc.
The rest are, but with the inefficiency rates of 78% (I've read it may even be as low as 30%! but I can't find my links :D )...
= 5 VACCINATED kids are not immune.
Here's the problem, as you know whooping cough starts out as a cold - runny nose, the cough doesn't develop til later. When Abby has a runny nose I keep her home and treat her myself. I noticed in your status (I'm not having a go at you, please don't take this the wrong way) that you and another friend agreed it is ok to send your kids to school with a runny nose, but isn't that relying on vaccination status to protect both your child and everyone elses? A vaccinated child can then transmit the disease to a vaccinated person with adequate protection who then passes it on to their baby brother/sister.....but who gets the blame? As you can see there are more inadequately vaccinted kids than there are completely/partially unvaccinated kids.

Now, we don't have to agree on everything? Who does? That's what makes us individuals, but we can both agree on the facts and evidence, which is the vaccine effectiveness needs increasing. I dislike that my children are labelled 'killers' by the media when *I* made the choice - not them. As I said, my choice is always under review, and when, or if, the vaccine changes I *may* just choose to have them vaccinated :)"


Kiah

Momtezuma Tuatara
02-05-09, 10:25 AM
This this New Zealand report (http://www.surv.esr.cri.nz/PDF_surveillance/NZPHSR/2004/NZPHSR2004December.pdf) came out (2 mb pdf) the New Zealand doctors have stopped talking about how "effective" the pertussis vaccine is.

As per chapter 82 in my second book, because of the concept of original antigenic sin, the pertussis vaccine actually reduces herd immunity, which is why annual rates of pertussis in both Australia and New Zealand are increasing.

I don't agree with your data about the numbers not immune though, because so much pertussis is subclinical, that many of those who don't ever immunise, will be immune.

this has long been the case http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/310/6975/299 (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/310/6975/299) and nothings about to change that.

Her case is a bit shakey...http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/128/1/64 (http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/128/1/64)


NSW vax rates according to CDI 31 March 2008 was 94.8% for DPT, overall rate for Aus is 95%, highest ever in the history of the country.

So how come you have this level of infection:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/Angladrion/Rpt_3.jpg

with this level of vaccination?

From this report here:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdi3204-pdf-cnt.htm/$FILE/cdi3204r.pdf

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/Angladrion/cdi3204r2_Page_4.jpg

I mean, pictures speak louder than words, surely?

kiah
02-05-09, 02:58 PM
Thanks so much MT - I KNEW you'd have some awesome info!
I agree about the subclinical cases, but I just did a really quick 'mini study' to show the basic ineffectiveness of the vaccine.....but hey, any info I can add is always welcome ;)
Kiah

kiah
02-05-09, 03:13 PM
Thanks so much MT - I KNEW you'd have some awesome info!
I agree about the subclinical cases, but I just did a really quick 'mini study' to show the basic ineffectiveness of the vaccine. I couldn't find the links to the 'actual' immune rates or the adult booster rates, so I just did the IMMUNE (according to the vaccination rates/effectiveness from those websites)....but hey, any info I can add is always welcome ;)
Kiah

whoops! Double post with editting done :D

Momtezuma Tuatara
02-05-09, 03:41 PM
Yeah, I figured you'd gone that way, but on a provaccine board, such maths will shoot straight over their heads.

I prefer to go for the simply blindingly obvious and fire medical bullets from their own guns. then if they want to push the issue, point out how pointless vaccination coverage is. But first, do the vaccination coverage, because that's what doctors say on television. "if we vaccinate all children at the right times, we'll be right."

I poach frogs gradually.. :D

3monkeys
04-05-09, 04:23 PM
This just reminded me of a funeral I went to the other day. I was at the home of the deceased having a few drinks with the sons who a good friends of mine when the Aunty started up. "those yuppie parents in Brisbane who arent vaccinating their children are creating an epidemic of whopping cough, its all those alternative parents"

Thankfully I only had a few beers under my belt :D ya know being one of those "yuppie alternative parents" and all. And I bit my tongue out of respect for my friends who had buried their mother that day.

I wish I had her email, I would send her those numbers................

Crazy though and I find it really hard to beleive people think like that....... but at the same time it doesnt surprise me.

Momtezuma Tuatara
05-05-09, 10:43 AM
whopping cough :lol:

3monkeys
05-05-09, 12:05 PM
whopping cough :lol:

:LMAO: brain fuzz..............................

Momtezuma Tuatara
05-05-09, 01:00 PM
One of my very first published whooping cough articles contained that very wording.