Everyone needs to get pertussis vaccination

Pertussis is in our community. There have been a record-breaking number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases throughout the country this year, especially in the state of Washington. It was only a matter of time before the residents of Sandpoint started coming down with pertussis.

Pertussis is a serious illness in children less than one year of age. Infants get pertussis vaccinations at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Pertussis is a disease that causes serious coughing for 100 days, and infants are not strong enough to have that kind of prolonged intense coughing so they have complications, including pneumonia and death. The infants in a community get pertussis from older siblings and adults, who frequently do not recognize that their cough and cold symptoms can be serious for the infants. Even children who are adequately immunized can get pertussis when the germ is in the community. This is because the vaccine protects about 85 percent of those who get it, and it wears out over three to five years.

The most important thing we can do to protect the infants in our community is to have everyone update their pertussis vaccine. Children should have pertussis vaccines at age 2, 4, 6, and 15 months, with a booster at 4-6 years of age. Teenagers need their booster at age 11-12.

The most important group to update their vaccine is the adults. If you have not had a tetanus vaccine with pertussis in the past five years as an adult, you need to receive a TdaP vaccine. This vaccine is available at Safeway and Medicine Man pharmacy, at Panhandle Health Department, and at many physician offices in town. Please make sure your pertussis vaccines are up to date — we do not want sick babies with pertussis and we can prevent that with good vaccinations.

JOYCE GILBERT, M.D.

Sandpoint