Every 20 seconds a child (aged 0-5) dies from a vaccine preventable disease worldwide (Thomas, 2013). Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is just one of many vaccine-preventable diseases largely affecting children. As of 2012, there were 48,277 reported cases of Pertussis in the United States alone, including twenty pertussis-related deaths. This marks the most reported cases of Pertussis since 1955. The numbers are only rising, the number of cases in August 2014 was on pace to exceed the number of cases seen in the 2013 by the end of the year (“PertussisOutbreak,” 2014). In 2008, the World Health Organization estimated about 16 million cases occurred worldwide and about 195,000 cases resulted in death (“Pertussis,” 2011). Most deaths occur within the first four months of birth because babies in this range are simply too young to be vaccinated.Pertussis stands to be a major issue plaguing society.
What Is Pertussis?
 |
| Bordetella Pertussis |
Pertussis is a very
contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. This bacterium produces a toxin that damages
the tiny sweeping hairs that coat the lining of the lungs, preventing them from
clearing the airways of mucus and the microbial invaders (McKenna, 2013). With
high contagious properties, pertussis can spread very rapidly, via mucus
droplets in coughing and sneezing, which makes it extremely dangerous. Another
dangerous aspect of pertussis is the incubation period, which is the period in
which symptoms develop. With an incubation period of up to three weeks, notably
longer than a common cold and other upper respiratory infections, pertussis
infections can remain in the body unnoticed leaving a parent to think a baby is
healthy. Even after the incubation period, symptoms can lead parents to believe
the baby just has a cold. The calling card symptom of the disease is the
whooping sound the cough makes, which can be heard in the video below. This is where pertussis gets its common name from.
Pertussis exists in three stages, the catarrhal, the paroxysmal, and the convalescent
or recovery stage. Pertussis can result in death, usually from complications
most commonly associated with pneumonia. It is also important to note that
adults, as well as babies, can also contract the disease. Although the disease
is less threatening to an adult, they can effectively act as carriers of the
disease and pass on to children (“Vaccines and Immunizations,” 2014).
An Ongoing Debate
Currently there is an ongoing debate in the area of getting vaccinated.
This stems from one side believing vaccinations may cause devastating side
effects and noting diseases may still be prevalent even though vaccines are
widely administered. On the other hand, we have those who believe getting
vaccinated is essential for preventing possible epidemics. In the 1940s before vaccinations
were administered, there was an estimated 270,000 reported cases, 10,000 of
which resulted in deaths (Libster and Edwards. 2012). According
to the Centers for Disease Control, due to vaccination administration currently
seeing about 10,000-40,000 reported cases annually. As statistics show, the administration
of Pertussis vaccinations greatly decreased the number of occurring cases, but
people refusing to get vaccinated is aiding the current spread of Pertussis.
Another aspect attributed to the current rise of the disease is the ability of
the disease to mutate. We are now seeing trains of Pertussis, with different characteristics,
never before seen that our vaccinations simply cannot combat.
References
Libster,
R., & Edwards, K. M. (2012). Re-emergence of Pertussis: What are the
Solutions?. Expert Review of Vaccines, 11(11), 1331-1346.
Retrieved September 13, 2014, from the PubMeb database.
Mckenna,
M. (2013). The Pertussis Parable. Scientific American, 309(4),
34-36. Retrieved September 10, 2014, from the Medline database.
Pertussis.
(2011, June 21). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from http://www.who.int/immunization/topics/pertussis/en
Pertussis
Outbreak Trends. (2014, August 27). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/outbreaks/trends.html
Stöppler,
M. C. (2013). Whooping Cough: Facts About Pertussis Vaccine and Treatment. MedicineNet.
Retrieved September 14, 2014, from http://www.medicinenet.com/pertussis/article.htm#what_is_whooping_cough_what
Thomas,
D. (2013, February 4). Top bloggers lend their voices to February celebration
of the impact of global vaccines. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from http://www.unfoundation.org/news-and-media/press-releases/2013/top-bloggers-lend-their-voices-to-february-celebration.html
Vaccines
and Immunizations. (2014, August 19). Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved September 14, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
Hey Randy, I have heard of whooping cough but I never really thought much of it since I didn’t know how serious it was. This is actually really scary, to see a young baby and think that he or she is healthy and then find out later on that they have this infection. I do believe in vaccines but I can understand why some parents wouldn't want their child to be vaccinated but this reminds me of flu shot vaccines and how many parents don’t want their child to get vaccinated but they don’t understand that their choice could possibly affect other children as well. So now that there has been different characteristics to Pertussis what kind of research is currently being conducted on these different mutations?
ReplyDeleteWell to give some brief background on the mutation, it has to do with pertactin, which is a protein that helps pertussis bacteria adhere to the linings of our airways. All current vaccines have pertactin in them so the body can build antibodies against it. As of 2013, researchers began finding strains of Pertussis that were pertactin-negative. This is one of the factors researchers are now attributing to the rapid rise in current pertussis cases. Current research shows these new pertactin-negative strains are as transmissible as known pertactin-postive starins. As a result, research is being done to sequence the genes of pertactin-negative strains in an attempt to find an alternate target protein to add into current vaccines to help combat it. I hope that answered your question, let me know if you have any other questions.
DeleteHi Randy,
ReplyDeleteYour post is fantastic. You have a short and concise title that grabs a reader’s attention, included a picture, and a video. The information that you include in your post is scary and shocking but has great solidity due to your sources. You explain to the reader what exactly Pertussis is and provided your own opinion regarding the subject matter. In this day of age, technology and science is growing rapidly and has increased our quality of life. It is sad for me to hear individuals who decide against vaccines for their children and expose them to diseases that were once ruled out by our advances in medical science but are popping back up again because of refusal to vaccinate their children. However, every individual has a choice in whether or not to vaccinate their child but I wish there was more information made to the general public to further educate. Overall, your post was a fantastic read, keep up the good work!
Wow what a post. You really did an amazing job of introducing your topic, explaining the issues, and just the first 30 seconds of the Khan Academy video hit it home with the sound on the inhale from the babies cough. My subject is about air pollution and its health effects on respiratory processes, i.e. asthma and COPD. But in the research I also found out, and posted, how research has proven that babies still in the womb, infants, and young children, with barely developed to still developing organs are at risk to respiratory diseases at a very high rate when in a highly dense urban environment with air pollution testing at poor air quality due to consumer and industrial forms of emissions.
ReplyDeleteYour blog really does pull at the heart strings, as seeing your own child suffer at any point is difficult, but then to have public policy or groups pushing against vaccines that would help prevent some of these issues is very troubling.
Hey Randy,
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog, best I have read thus far. I have heard of the whooping cough before but I new nothing of it until I read your blog. The YouTube clip was great as well to get more insight on the issue. This blog definitely raises awareness and gives reason for readers possibly consider getting vaccinated, though I don't think the blog really persuades the reader to choose getting vaccinated or not, I guess it is a risk that they must choose. Thanks for the interesting blog.
Randy, I think your blog has been one of the best I have read so far. What I really liked about it was the style it was written in. Breaking it down into different sections made the reading experience pleasurable and really appealed to the short attention span that you are pitching for with these types of blog posts. I actually think I will steal this idea from you for one of my future blog posts. I think your topic selection as well was good as it provided information, a cause to advocate for, and makes me feel a sense of urgency about the whole situation as well.
ReplyDeleteRandy,
ReplyDeleteI found your choice of topic very interesting. Pertussis is a disease that often overlooked. I hadn't heard of pertussis until I took microbiology class at Mason. That just shows that it is important to spread awareness and you've done a great job at that. Your facts are accurate and your post is very organized. I also like the fact that you added a video to the post. It makes adds to the overall content and helps make your point clearer. Can't wait to read more. Good luck with the project!
There are some great things about this post, Randy. I appreciate your topic sentence being a statistic and how there is an emphasis on how preventable the disease is because it conveys the importance of the topic right off the bat. I also think that the way you formatted the post with the "inverted triangle" style with the most general things on the top getting increasingly focused is great in helping the reader understand the scope and background of the top and gives the post a nice flow. I would also like to mention I like the way the links were placed throughout the text and the pictures and videos included which help to break everything up which makes it more visually appealing to a reader. Along with the headings for each section that made it me want to continue reading because I knew I would learn something and be able to take out the most important information easily. The only things that I would suggest you add are explanations for large terms such as the names of the three stages of the disease, as well as adding a question at the end to engage readers and maybe make a catchier title that is not as generic so that readers will click on your blog. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great topic to discuss because it is absolutely astounding how many people aren't knowledgable about this disease. Pertussis (a.k.a. Whooping Cough) is such a horrible disease and it's sad how this can be fatal. I believe if any child or adult who is able to get the vaccine should regardless of the possible side effects or risks! As to every vaccine or medicine out there, there's always that "possible" risk or side effect. Being a father to a 17 month old daughter, my wife and I had our daughter vaccinated as soon as we could to help prevent her from getting Pertussis. Since pertussis can sometimes be disguised as a bad cold or cough people are allowing children, without knowing, to get sick. This can be a serious issue for people who are teachers or work at daycares that are around kids. Anyone, especially parents or expecting parents should be aware and get informed about Pertussis so that we can help stop the spread and possibly end this terrible disease!
ReplyDeleteI like that you used a lot of sources and included a video link to the end. Linking to outside sources is something I appreciate when looking up information, since it allows me to branch off into other subjects and choose which one piques my interest, so I can continue studying more and more of what I wish.
ReplyDeleteYour blog was very informative, I didn't know much about Pertussis/Whooping cough until I read it. Very good : )
As a mother this debate infuriates me. I do not understand how people can think that not vaccinating their children and allowing diseases like pertussis to spread and cause death and destruction to so many vulnerable people is acceptable. Not to mention the fact that I would rather vaccinate my children against a small, scientifically unsubstantiated risk than to risk their lives should they contract a disease that is so easily avoided. I think that because the United States has done a pretty good job of fighting and vaccinating against these diseases people forget what a danger they can present. Education is the key, blogs like yours calling the situation to light helps to keep the issue in the forefront of people’s minds.
ReplyDeleteRandy,
ReplyDeleteI have heard of whooping cough but I never knew much information about it and I also did not know that it was also called pertussis. All the statistics you put in the beginning of you blog were startling and really got me engaged to read more about this illness. The one statistic that surprised me was the first one where a child from age 0 to 5 dies every 20 seconds from this illness. I really liked that you talked about the science and the way this illness comes to be. I find the debate ridiculous because if it's saving lives then why aren't vaccinations implemented more frequently? Also thanks for posting the video it really helped me understand this illness even more.
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