32w2d - Whooping cough vaccination

So Mike and I were vaccinated again pertussis (aka whooping cough) with the TDAP booster.  If you think you will ever be in contact with my son, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get the TDAP booster now!!!!!!!!!!!

From the CDC’s website:
Getting vaccinated with Tdap — at least two weeks before coming into close contact with an infant — is especially important for families with and caregivers of new infants.

Pertussis, aka whooping cough, in the first three months of life is frequently severe and often fatal and it’s on the rise all over America:

Whooping cough is making a comeback, and health professionals say one reason is because parents are not getting vaccinated against the disease.

"We didn't recognize that parents were big carriers of it," said Abilene pediatrician Justin Smith. "We need to get better coverage for adults."

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection that most adults would consider just a nagging cough or a mild case of the flu. However, it has a much greater impact on children, especially infants.

"The thing with pertussis is that it affects little babies because their air passages are so small," Smith said.

As of July 30, there have been 895 confirmed and probable cases of pertussis in Texas this year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. This represents a doubling of cases reported as of this time in 2011, according to the agency.

Part of the problem is the lack of vaccination. The DTaP shot (which inoculates against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) is administered to infants at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 year and at 18 months. Another shot is given between ages 4-6, according to DSHS.

The vaccine for preteens and adults is called Tdap. After getting the shot at 11 or 12 years old, a person should be vaccinated every 10 years.

It wasn't until recently that doctors became aware that adults were major carriers of pertussis and that they should continue to get the vaccination every 10 years.

"If you can't remember when you had your last vaccination, it's probably a good indication that you need to get one," Smith said.

The other problem comes from parents who aren't getting the vaccinations for themselves or their children because they are suspicious of them, believing that they can cause other medical conditions.

"When something gets in the popular media, people will start accepting it," Smith said, referring to anecdotal stories about vaccinations creating other health issues. "However, all the different concerns have been disproved by science."

He said the benefits of getting the vaccinations far outweigh any perceived risks.

The problem of not getting vaccinated is compounded by the fact that people who don't get vaccinations for either themselves or their children often associate with others who don't get them either. Because the disease is so contagious, it is spread quickly.

The vaccination isn't even as discomforting as it once was.

"That's because we're getting so good at creating vaccinations," Smith said. "They're so refined that there's less reaction to them."

Smith said whooping cough is not a seasonal illness and that it carries flu-like symptoms associated with upper-respiratory problems. He said it's a good idea for all adults to be vaccinated because it is so difficult to predict when they will be around small children.

"It's a real thing," he said about the increase in whooping cough. "Everybody needs to get the pertussis vaccine."