On November 26th, 2013 it was published for the first time that
researchers might have found the reason for high spike in the number of
Whooping Cough cases. The cause may actually be due to the vaccine and is
affecting people worldwide. It recently has been discovered in baboons that
even after the baboon has received a vaccine against Whooping Cough he/she is
actually still contagious to others. The reason being that the infectious agent
remains lodged in the throat of the vaccinated. This allows the virus to continue
to spread, thus being the possible reason for the high spike in the number of
Whooping Cough Cases.
‘“When you're newly vaccinated you are an asymptomatic
carrier, which is good for you, but not for the population,' said Tod J.
Merkel..." This means that the person vaccinated is not exhibiting
symptoms, but they can still spread the disease to others. Thus explaining the
rise in the number of Whooping Cough cases worldwide. This also seems to prove
that the vaccine seemingly ineffective as a preventative measure.
The article reminded me of what we
talked about with inoculation of Small Pox. While the patient now has immunity
to the disease, the rest of the population remains at risk. This is very
dangerous and just as concerning as it was with Small Pox before vaccinations.
For me this brings up the question of whether or not it is worth it to be
vaccinated if you are just as likely to spread it to other people. Also, I
question if by getting vaccinated you are more likely to bring Whooping Cough
to your area because you seemingly become infected after being vaccinated.
The fear that we saw in the movie in
class that the Adams family felt towards Small Pox for me reminds me of a fear
that is instilled in many today because of the great unknown about Whooping
Cough. Before Whooping Cough vaccines seemed to be working great, but as the
child grew older the vaccination became less effective. A new vaccination was
made and now it is bringing up questions as to if this vaccine is actually
causing more cases of Whooping Cough. For me this is concerning and is
definitely relatable to the clip of the Adams Family film on Small Pox we saw
in class.
I really liked this article and
enjoyed reading it. I had not really heard much about Whooping Cough recently.
Quite frankly the only times I had even heard of it in the past was from
posters at the doctors office and reminding patients with young children how
important it is for both you and your child to be vaccinated. After reading
this article I really had to question for myself what I would do if I were in
that situation. I feel as if I would vaccinate all the people around me at the
same time that may be at risk so that not only could I be safe from Whooping
Cough, but also so the rest of my family would also be safe. This is definitely
a concerning and new topic that is up for debate on whether or not families
should even vaccinate themselves and their children if quite frankly it is
causing more cases in the world.
Whooping
Cough Study May Offer Clue on Surge
By:
Sabrina Tavernise
November
26, 2013
The New York Times
I wonder if a different vaccine would help the situation. This also relates to the to be vaccinated or not to be vaccinated debate, because if everyone got vaccinated then being a carrier of whooping cough upon vaccination would not be a problem. This is just a thought and I would still need more information about the risks and benefits of the vaccine before I could come to a conclusion about weather I believe everyone should be vaccinated or not.
ReplyDeleteI think this article is very interesting. The idea that they test it in baboons was kind of funny, but I suppose it makes sense because we evolved from primates etc, etc. On a more modern note, the asymptomatic carrying reminded me of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. When the UN peacekeeping troops brought cholera from Nepal to Haiti, they had no idea that they were carriers due to their two weeks of being asymptomatic. Because asymptomatic disease carriers have caused major outbreaks of both whooping cough and cholera in very recent years, it is possible that health administration should attempt to include these outlying factors in advice given to the masses regarding epidemic disease in the future.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I agree with Anna; since we have all of this information surrounding disease carriers, it is important to take it into consideration for future diseases. New strategies of vaccination will have to be developed in order to combat disease that is not always seen as spreading. Asymptomatic disease are hard to control, but like Jessica I wonder if there is a way to get a greater spread of vaccination.
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