Parents of new babies should be considered for a whooping cough booster, say expertsDecember 01, 2008Lesson of the week: Rapidly fatal invasive pertussis in babies -- how can we change the outcome? BMJ Online 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 bmj.com today. Whooping cough (pertussis) is a distressing infectious disease which affects infants and young children. Vaccination is effective and is usually given to infants at two to four months of age, with a further booster after three years. But evidence is growing that the incidence of pertussis is rising in adolescents and adults. Infectious adults within a family are the main source of infection for unimmunised infants. 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. Pre-vaccination infants now account for the majority of pertussis-related complications, hospitalisations and deaths and most infants catch the disease from affected household members, with parents accounting for more than half of the cases. As a result, several countries, including the USA and Australia, have introduced booster doses for adolescents and adults. France and Germany also recommend a targeted booster for parents and healthcare workers in contact with young children. Mortality remains high for young infants developing invasive pertussis despite modern paediatric intensive care, say the authors. The best solution is to prevent infection. The introduction of an adult booster or more targeted vaccination of household contacts of young infants should be considered, they conclude. BMJ-British Medical Journal |
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| Related Whooping Cough Current Events and Whooping Cough News Articles Lessons from the vaccine-autism wars Researchers long ago rejected the theory that vaccines cause autism, yet many parents don't believe them. Can scientists bridge the gap between evidence and doubt? Refusing immunizations puts children at increased risk of pertussis infection Children of parents who refuse vaccines are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared to fully immunized children. Parents of internationally adopted children advised to verify children's immunization levels A study by the division of global child health at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine cautions adoptive parents not to rely solely on vaccination records when gauging their internationally adopted children's immunizations. Mayo Clinic study finds increased risk of pneumococcal disease in asthma patients Mayo Clinic research shows adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common bacteria causing middle ear infections and community acquired pneumonia. Minor shift in vaccine schedule has potential to reduce infant illness, death A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University suggests that protecting infants from a common, highly contagious and even deadly disease may be as easy as administering a routine vaccine two weeks earlier than it is typically given. Pertussis: Adults can fall severely ill too Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is not just a childhood disease. Hidden infections crucial to understanding, controlling disease outbreaks Scientists and news organizations typically focus on the number of dead and gravely ill during epidemics, but research at the University of Michigan suggests that less dramatic, mild infections lurking in large numbers of people are the key to understanding cycles of at least one potentially fatal infectious disease: cholera. Most vaccine-allergic children can still be safely vaccinated, Hopkins experts say With close monitoring and a few standard precautions, nearly all children with known or suspected vaccine allergies can be safely immunized, according to a team of vaccine safety experts led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Combination vaccines okay for infants, study shows A University of Rochester study brings relief to new parents who, while navigating a jam-packed childhood vaccine schedule, can expect to soothe their newborn through as many as 15 "pokes" by his or her six-month checkup. Infectious diseases experts issue blueprint to avert New vaccines are available to make significant gains against cervical cancer deaths and debilitating pain from shingles, but infectious diseases experts warn that their full potential will not be realized without changes in the way vaccines for adults and adolescents are promoted, financed, and delivered in the United States. More Whooping Cough Current Events and Whooping Cough News Articles |
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