velvetpage (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
velvetpage) wrote2007-11-05 06:10 am
velvetpage) wrote2007-11-05 06:10 am
Entry tags:
Whooping Cough
A little girl who was here playing with Elizabeth on Saturday has been diagnosed with whooping cough. She's had all her vaccinations and she wasn't sick before she left home - she started feeling poorly after dinner. Which is to say, I don't blame the family at all.
In other words, at least two families who have done everything they're supposed to do in regards to preventing the spread of this disease, have come in contact with it - probably as a result of someone at this little girl's school who DIDN'T have their vaccinations up-to-date. The problem is rampant in Southern Ontario, especially Toronto - it's estimated that only about fifty percent of kids have their vaccines up-to-date, and fewer adults than that have had their booster shots. (I have - I got it when I got my tetanus shot about two months ago, and now I'm glad I did.)
Now, chances are that even if someone in my family contracts it, they'll have a fairly mild case. We're vaccinated, and recently, though Claire's eighteen-month vax is coming up in a couple of weeks. But the chances of contracting that mild case are about thirty percent, because increased immunity is not complete immunity. Being overtired, being a little under the weather with something else, being in need of some better vitamins, or just plain bad luck with a struggling immune system, can all make people more vulnerable. That's why, in order for a vaccination program to prevent outbreaks, the vast majority of the population needs to be up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Two of the people who were there on Saturday work closely with kids. Some of my students and colleagues have small babies at home. I'm going to mention to one of those that, if their baby hasn't had her shots yet, she should get them now, just in case I get sick and her father brings it home. It's a long shot, but pretty baby Lily should be protected against it even so.
I repeat, I'm not upset at the family in question. They were doing everything they should have done, and informed everyone of the diagnosis as soon as they had received it so we could take steps. No, I'm angry at the large number of Torontonians (and other Ontarians) who think that they're safe because whooping cough has been so rare for the last few decades. I'm angry at the people advising parents, erroneously, that vaccines are worse than the diseases they prevent. I'm angry at the family doctors and other health professionals who don't take enough measures to get their patients in for their well-baby visits, including shots. I'm angry at a provincial government that has known about this problem for several years and has yet to put a comprehensive, community-level vaccination program in effect. This is a public health issue, and our public health officials haven't done anything about it.
Any adults who read this who come in regular contact with my family are advised to ensure that their booster shots are up-to-date. You're supposed to have one every ten years to be fully protected; if it's been more than eight or you can't remember, get another. Whooping cough is usually not that serious for adults, or even older children; the risk is that the adults will transmit it to a newborn baby, who could die.
In other words, at least two families who have done everything they're supposed to do in regards to preventing the spread of this disease, have come in contact with it - probably as a result of someone at this little girl's school who DIDN'T have their vaccinations up-to-date. The problem is rampant in Southern Ontario, especially Toronto - it's estimated that only about fifty percent of kids have their vaccines up-to-date, and fewer adults than that have had their booster shots. (I have - I got it when I got my tetanus shot about two months ago, and now I'm glad I did.)
Now, chances are that even if someone in my family contracts it, they'll have a fairly mild case. We're vaccinated, and recently, though Claire's eighteen-month vax is coming up in a couple of weeks. But the chances of contracting that mild case are about thirty percent, because increased immunity is not complete immunity. Being overtired, being a little under the weather with something else, being in need of some better vitamins, or just plain bad luck with a struggling immune system, can all make people more vulnerable. That's why, in order for a vaccination program to prevent outbreaks, the vast majority of the population needs to be up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Two of the people who were there on Saturday work closely with kids. Some of my students and colleagues have small babies at home. I'm going to mention to one of those that, if their baby hasn't had her shots yet, she should get them now, just in case I get sick and her father brings it home. It's a long shot, but pretty baby Lily should be protected against it even so.
I repeat, I'm not upset at the family in question. They were doing everything they should have done, and informed everyone of the diagnosis as soon as they had received it so we could take steps. No, I'm angry at the large number of Torontonians (and other Ontarians) who think that they're safe because whooping cough has been so rare for the last few decades. I'm angry at the people advising parents, erroneously, that vaccines are worse than the diseases they prevent. I'm angry at the family doctors and other health professionals who don't take enough measures to get their patients in for their well-baby visits, including shots. I'm angry at a provincial government that has known about this problem for several years and has yet to put a comprehensive, community-level vaccination program in effect. This is a public health issue, and our public health officials haven't done anything about it.
Any adults who read this who come in regular contact with my family are advised to ensure that their booster shots are up-to-date. You're supposed to have one every ten years to be fully protected; if it's been more than eight or you can't remember, get another. Whooping cough is usually not that serious for adults, or even older children; the risk is that the adults will transmit it to a newborn baby, who could die.