However, some moms and dads may not realize the harm they are doing their newborn by not getting themselves or their older children vaccinated for whooping cough, or pertussis.

Because the immunity of a newborn isn’t fully developed, babies are at high risk for contracting potentially fatal illness and disease.

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics stresses the importance of the entire family getting vaccinated, at least those old enough to receive the immunization. The study says babies who contracted whooping cough were now more likely to get the infection from a sibling than a parent.

The study states that pertussis “is poorly controlled” and that the incidence of pertussis in this country is on the rise.

In contrast to previous studies, data now shows that infants are contracting whooping cough more often from their siblings than from their mothers. Doctors suggest that this may be because of vaccine effectiveness wearing off over time in these older children. They then contract pertussis more easily and the younger siblings (including infants) are more likely to be exposed.

Five vaccine doses are recommended by age 6, with a booster shot at age 11 or 12. Booster shots also are recommended for adults.

Infants are at greatest risk for disease and death from whooping cough, especially during the first 2 months of life before pertussis immunizations begin. That means that everyone in the family should be vaccinated when a newborn is being brought into the family.

While the parents, adolescents and caregivers who will have direct contact with the baby should all be up-to-date on their immunizations, the two most important vaccinations for adults to receive are influenza and combination booster for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap).

“Tdap is recommended for all pregnant women during each pregnancy to prevent the baby from getting pertussis if coughed on in the first few months of life before the baby has time to get immunized,” said Mary Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., medical director of Infectious Diseases at Cook Children’s. “The mother makes antibodies that go into the baby’s bloodstream during the pregnancy. Those last until the baby gets his or her 2-month shots.

“It’s very important for everyone in the family, including parents, siblings and grandparents to have the vaccine. Pertussis can be deadly if a child contracts the disease in the first 3-4 months of life.”

About the source

Mary Suzanne Whitworth, M.D. is the medical director of Infectious Diseases at Cook Children’s, which offers care for children and teens with diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, fungi or viruses. Our team provides a broad range of services including diagnosis, inpatient and outpatient consultations, immune deficiency evaluations and treatment of recurring infections.

Now I know that the reason that no one got whooping cough when I was younger was due to a vaccine that I received called DTP. We now give a slightly different version of the vaccine called DTaP. Children are supposed to received DTaP at 2, 4, 6, 12-18 months, and 4 years of age. They then get a booster dose of a related vaccine called TDaP at 11 and a second TDaP booster in adulthood (recently added to the recommendations).

Whooping cough, which is also known as pertussis, has been on the rise all over the country for several years now. I see it in our clinic in Mansfield and throughout the area. There are various theories as to why it is coming back. Some theories center around the idea that people’s immunity toward pertussis wears off as they get older. Others deal with the issue of people who do not vaccinate themselves or their children. Still more center on possible mutations in the illness itself. Whatever the cause, what we do know is that it is here and causing problems.

Whooping cough can be very dangerous for children, especially if they are under age 1, but many parents don’t realize that their children have it until they have been sick for at least a couple of weeks. At the beginning, it can look like a simple cold. The typical story is that the child has been sick for 2 weeks or more and is having “coughing spasms” that can cause them to “lose their breath,” vomit, or even pass out. Regular cough medicine hasn’t helped (not to mention it isn’t recommended in children). Parents have typically tried all of the regular tricks like honey, humidifiers, vapor rubs, etc.

Under age 1, however, children don’t necessarily cough. Instead of coughing, infants may simply not breathe, which is called apnea. Since that is a very dangerous and silent problem that can kill, we must do our best to protect infants from even catching pertussis – which is where vaccination comes back into play. All people in the same household as an infant, including adults, should have a current pertussis vaccination.

Unfortunately, pertussis doesn’t have a simple, quick test like strep or flu does. In our office in Mansfield, we do have a test that we can take the sample in the office, though, which isn’t typical of many clinics. The result from the test is usually available in about 3 days. Pertussis can be treated with an antibiotic, but only if it is caught early. Once past the early phase, a person must simply recover from it, and that can take up to 3 months, even if there are no complications from the infection.

Vaccination is not a 100 percent guarantee that children will not get the whooping cough, however, it has been shown to greatly reduce their chances of getting it, and if they do get it, their case will likely be less severe than if they were not vaccinated. There are also children who cannot receive the DTaP vaccine for various reasons, some of whom have serious health problems. We all need to do the best we can to protect ourselves and our neighbors from this disease, which is making quite the comeback in our community.