Center for Disease Control

There have been countless headlines recently about flu shots, and H1N1 in particular, containing pertinent information for all. There is another vaccine recommendation that has come out in the last few years that many may not have heard about. Adults and teens are now encouraged to receive a vaccination against whooping cough.

Many people assume that whooping cough, or pertussis, has gone the way of smallpox, that is, eradicated. Not so. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there may be as many as 600,000 cases of pertussis among American adults each year.

This past summer, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and GlaxoKlineSmith, a drug manufacturer, commissioned a survey of adults, asking what they knew about whooping cough and the vaccine. Of those surveyed, 76 percent did not know or didn’t think that whooping cough was an issue in this country. Sixty-one percent didn’t know there was a vaccine available for this highly contagious, serious disease.

Pertussis is caused by bacteria that infect the respiratory tract. Fever, runny nose, sneezing and a severe, distinctive-sounding cough are the symptoms one can expect from this disease. The cough can be so intense that vomiting may occur, or ribs may crack. It can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

Most adults believe that after all the vaccinations of childhood and the teenage years, the only shot they might need to consider having is an annual flu shot and a tetanus booster if they step on a nail or get bitten by a dog. It is now believed that immunity for pertussis wears off after a period of 5 to 10 years after the last childhood vaccination.

The survey found that almost three-quarters of adults believe that their vaccinations are up-to-date. The CDC estimates that only a little over two percent received the Tdap vaccine, a combination of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, between 2005 and 2007. The recommendation by the CDC and AAFP is that most teens and adults get a single dose of the Tdap booster to replace the usual shot for tetanus and diphtheria that is given every ten years.

This week, the AAFP announced the launch of “Vaccination Matters: Help Protect Families from Whooping Cough,” a public health initiative about the importance of adults and teens receiving this booster shot. If you have not had the Tdap vaccine or had a tetanus booster shot in the last 4 years or so, or if you don’t know what you may or may not have had, contact your health care provider and find out. Then discuss your vaccination status with your health care provider to see what he or she recommends for you.

Hopefully, this message will be broadcast all over the country. If people follow through and get their booster shots, maybe whooping cough can go the way of smallpox.

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