The Pertussis Vaccine Saves
Lives
Anna Mitchell
Brother Griffin ENG 252-1
6/1/2013
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Pertussis Vaccines Save Lives
In the year 1999, little to nothing was commonly known about the Pertussis vaccine, or
even the disease itself. Women were not counseled to receive this vaccine when they became
pregnant, and were not instructed to procure the vaccine for their children. Because of the lack
of information available, women were unaware of the risks to them and to their small or unborn
children. Also in 1999, a woman by the name of Linda Mitchell gave birth to a healthy baby
boy. She named him John-Lawrence, after a dear friend of her husband. John was a healthy,
happy baby; but not for long. At less than a month old, little John-Lawrence came down with a
prolonged cough. After several tests, including false negative results, John was diagnosed with
Pertussis. Although medical teams at the local Children’s Hospital did all that they could, by
that time it was too late for little John-Lawrence. On his two-month birthday, John passed away
from the disease. Had his mother been aware of the potential dangers of Pertussis, she could
have gotten vaccinated and saved the life of her son. However, since there was virtually no
awareness of the Pertussis vaccine and its saving qualities, a life that had just started was lost.
Today, there is much more publicity and awareness of the Pertussis vaccine, but there is still
argument as to whether or not it is truly effective. However, studies and tests as early as the late
1980’s and the early 2000’s confirm that Pertussis vaccines are incredibly effective and lifesaving. Awareness of and access to the Pertussis vaccine must be raised and made available to
adults and children alike to prevent more loss of young life due to this horrendous and fast-acting
disease.
To understand the importance of the Pertussis vaccine, the public must first be made
aware of what Pertussis is and what it does. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or
the CDC, tells us on its official website that Pertussis, commonly called Whooping Cough, is an
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infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis, which develops and attaches to the upper
respiratory system (CDC). The infection causes major coughing fits in children and adults,
although the symptoms are usually much less severe among adult patients. The coughing fits
will impair the infected individual’s ability to breathe, causing the person to gasp for breath,
creating a whoop sound, hence the name Whooping Cough. In severe cases, such as in little
children, the coughing fits will trigger vomiting, and the afflicted child will be extremely
exhausted after each fit. In the most severe cases, such as in the case of John-Lawrence, the
lungs will start to swell and excess fluid will accumulate in the lungs and around other areas of
the body. For instance, little John-Lawrence suffered from swelling in his face around one of his
eyes due to this excess fluid. These conditions can and often do become fatal, especially in the
cases of small children such as John. In older patients the symptoms are not usually life
threatening, but can be as severe as passing out from lack of air or fracturing ribs due to violent
spasms during a coughing fit (CDC).
Because the early symptoms of Pertussis can seem inconsequential, many do not realize
that they have contracted the disease. In fact, since adults and teenagers sometimes do not
experience more severe symptoms than coughing fits, many get over the disease without ever
realizing they had it; they assume that they are only suffering from allergies or a cold, and so
they do not seek medical attention. However, just because those individuals’ symptoms may not
be severe enough to threaten their own lives, it does not mean that they cannot pass on the
disease to others who are more susceptible to the debilitating effects of Pertussis. In the case of
John-Lawrence, for example, doctors told his parents that he could have caught the disease from
someone who was coughing without covering their mouths passing by him on the street or in a
store. Clearly, this is a highly contagious disease that should be tested for and treated. In the
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article, “Pertussis of adults and infants”, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the authors
explain that “Adults are a reservoir for infections in very young infants, in whom pertussis may
be severe and life-threatening.” (Wirsing, 744). In addition to being easy to pass on, the disease
can become contagious very quickly after the initial onset in an individual. In “Epidemiology of
Pertussis”, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, we learn that the time between onset of the
disease and transmission to another person can be as short as one week (Thomas, 255). When
small children are so susceptible to the disease, and the disease so easily passed along, something
must be done to prevent adults from passing this deadly threat on to young children. Not only
must adults must be made aware that vaccinations are available, and are necessary to the
prevention of Pertussis-related deaths in children, but they must also be educated on the
symptoms so that they may recognize the risk from the onset and get themselves tested and
treated.
In recent years, the outbreak of Pertussis has become a veritable epidemic. In the
Pediatrics journal, an article titled “Report on the Task Force on Pertussis and Pertussis
Immunization” lays out the Pertussis-related statistics found in 1988. The article states that
worldwide there occur approximately 600,000 deaths from Pertussis every year, and that almost
all of those deaths were infants who had not received a vaccination (Cherry, 933). Since 1988,
the number of those infected has been rising. Throughout the world, more and more cases of
Pertussis are being reported, and more and more infant deaths are occurring. These deaths are
happening because awareness is too low, and number of vaccinations performed is even lower.
In an article titled “Epidemiology of Pertussis”, published in Reviews of Infectious Diseases, we
learn that in most countries, the policies concerning Pertussis vaccinations have such limited
coverage as to render them useless in preventing an outbreak (Thomas, 255). In fact, according
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to the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than ten percent of adults
worldwide have received the Pertussis vaccination (CDC). Unless something is done to raise
awareness of the dangers of this disease, and to promote vaccinations on a larger scale, the
epidemic will continue to spread to gigantic proportions.
One might ask, if the vaccine is so important, why is its usage not more widely accepted?
The answer is simple: parents have misconceptions about the disease and the vaccine, and they
have been fed rumors about the vaccine by anti-vaccination movements. In recent years, the
amount of publicity given to the disease and the corresponding vaccine has grown; however,
throughout the United States and the world there are still far too many people who are not aware
of how prevalent and dangerous Pertussis is. A simple Google search will lead readers to pages
of questions and comments from parents who do not know how to recognize the disease or do
not believe it to be very dangerous. Many of these unconcerned parents are not educating
themselves on the severity of the disease, and so they prefer to just wait until the child gets over
it, so to speak. Several comments on the babycenter.com website indicated that some parents are
under the impression that it is beneficial for their children to get Pertussis because they will build
up immunity (Comments). While it is true that contracting the disease can lead to immunity, few
people realize that this only happens in cases when the infant actually survives the disease.
Because the disease is so swift and aggressive, cases of infant survival without treatment are
rare. If parents notice symptoms of Pertussis in their children, it is essential to get the children
tested and treated. However, this situation could be avoided all together if parents procured the
vaccination for their children in the first place.
A common misconception among parents is that they themselves do not need to receive
the Pertussis vaccine, because onset of Pertussis after childhood is rare. However, the number of
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reported cases of Pertussis in older children and adults is rising (Keitel, 118). In spite of this
fact, many parents think that if there is little to no chance that they will contract the disease, then
why bother with a vaccination? Even if they did get the disease, they most likely would not
suffer from severe symptoms, so it becomes ‘no big deal’ for them to opt out of getting the
Pertussis vaccination. What these parents fail to realize is that even if they do not contract the
disease, their child could potentially get it from someone else. In addition, even if they do not
suffer the full severity of Pertussis, they could definitely pass it on to their child, who would
indeed suffer the full effects. However, if parents take responsibility and procure for themselves
the vaccination, they can ensure that they do not pass on the disease to their child. In addition, if
pregnant or nursing mothers get the vaccination, they can then pass on their immunity to their
babies through their bodies or the breast milk their babies take nourishment from. By
understanding the importance of getting themselves vaccinated and doing so, parents can better
protect their children from the vicious disease that is Pertussis.
Another common misconception in regards to the Pertussis vaccine is that the vaccine is
ineffective, or even harmful, to children. There are many individuals who believe that
vaccinations are ‘unnatural’ and should not come into a human body. Such individuals believe
that man-made vaccinations do more harm than good. Many of these are the same individuals
who believe it best to allow children to contract the disease in order to build immunity. Such
ideas are incorrect. In her article “Acellular Pertussis Vaccines—A Solution to the Pertussis
Problem?”, Kathryn Edwards states that “The vaccines have been found to be safe and
immunogenic in infants and children.” (15). “Immunogenic” means that the vaccine causes an
immune response, or in other words creates immunity to the Pertussis disease. In addition, in a
study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and performed to determine the
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effectiveness of the Pertussis vaccine, several children under two years old were placed in a
residential facility. Nine of these children were given the Pertussis vaccine, leaving 10
unimmunized. Only one child who was immunized developed typical symptoms of Pertussis,
while six out of the ten unimmunized children showed typical symptoms (Aoyama, 483).
Another study performed for the same reason, and published in The Journal of the American
Medical Association, 112 individuals were immunized with the Pertussis vaccine while 173 were
left unimmunized. Of the immunized individuals, only seven contracted Pertussis; in contrast,
93 of the unimmunized individuals contracted the disease (Schmitt, 37). It is clear from these
studies that the Pertussis vaccine is indeed effective, which shows that the idea that vaccines are
ineffective and harmful is simply inaccurate. In fact, neither study reports any negative or
harmful side effects resulting from immunization, so the theory of harmful vaccines is disproved
even further. While it is natural and healthy for parents to be suspect of medical procedures,
they need to take the time to perform research and find legitimate sources of information. Too
often, parents believe whatever drivel is broadcast by a biased talk show. This blind belief leads
to misconceptions. In such cases as the Pertussis vaccine, these misconceptions can quite
literally mean the difference between life and death. Parents need to be aware of the actual
effectiveness of the Pertussis vaccine so that they can take responsibility for their own and their
children’s health.
Along with common misconceptions derived from different media sources, parents are
constantly barraged by anti-vaccination movements. These movements are not fueled by those
who see vaccines as unnatural with possible harmful effects, but by those who believe vaccines
to be nothing more than a scam perpetuated by the government to rob innocent tax payers of
their money and their health. There is clear evidence of the scope of these movements in the
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comments on the Baby Center page on Pertussis vaccines. One commenter insists that
physicians are paid on some bizarre commission system, where they receive a bonus for every
vaccination they administer. Therefore, according to this commenter, there is no real reason to
get vaccinated. The only reason doctors recommend vaccinations is to get more money. This
commenter shows a profound misunderstanding of the system of payment to health care
providers in America. True, in the past doctors were paid on a fee-for-service system where
doctors received more money for performing more tests and complicated procedures. However,
that system of payment has become almost obsolete, replaced with the capitation system. This
system assures doctors a flat monthly fee for services rendered to a patient. This method is
meant to encourage performing more preventative measures, such as administering vaccinations,
mammograms, and pap smears, rather than performing several unnecessary and expensive tests
in order to get more money (Hagland). Under the capitation system, doctors gain no monetary
reward for administering vaccinations, so that commenter’s argument is proved invalid. Another
commenter insisted that Pertussis is caused by inhaling flame-retardant chemicals present in
foam mattresses. This commenter provided a method of clearing such chemicals from a body
which included scrubbing children with bar soap, since no other soap would effectively remove
the chemicals from the skin. This is obviously untrue, as scientific testing has irrevocably shown
that Pertussis is caused by bacteria attaching to the inside of the lungs. Clearly, such arguments
against the Pertussis vaccine are nonsense. Unfortunately, however, many parents are drawn in
by these anti-vaccine movements and are convinced to forego vaccination, with drastic results.
Anti-vaccine movements throughout the world have convinced many to steer clear of the
Pertussis vaccine. While some members of these movements may honestly believe that they are
doing the right thing by achieving this, the results of their movements show otherwise. These
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movements cost at the least the security that comes from knowing that your child is immunized
against a disease. At most, they cost individuals, and especially children, their lives. In a
comparison between countries which had strong success in vaccination and countries where
vaccination was hindered by anti-vaccine movements, those countries where vaccination was
strong were found to be ten to one hundred times lower in prevalence of Pertussis (Gangarosa,
356). Another study published in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that without
vaccination, there is a predicted seventy-one fold increase in the number of cases of Pertussis,
with a four-fold increase in number of deaths (Koplan, 906). These statistics show the intense
effect anti-vaccine movements can have on human life. Unfortunately, the United States has
been fighting over the vaccine controversy since the 1980s, and will continue to do so unless
parents make the effort to educate themselves and fight back against these movements (Cherry,
933). It is clear that anti-vaccine movements, while not credible, continue to have a negative
effect on society. Parents need to see through these bogus claims and educate themselves with
the real facts. Only then can parents realize the effectiveness and necessity of vaccinations, and
only then will Pertussis cease to be the serious and dangerous problem it is today.
In conclusion, when the facts are available, one can clearly see the dangers associated
with the Pertussis disease. However, most often parents are not subjected to the truth of the
matter, and so are blinded to threat posed to their children. Had Linda, little John-Lawrence’s
mother, had the facts and potential dangers made known to her, one infant life could have been
saved. For John, and for all of the infants and young children who have passed away like him
because of Pertussis, awareness must be raised. Parents must be made aware of the dangers of
Pertussis to their children. They must be taught to recognize the signs and symptoms of
Pertussis, and to realize the importance of vaccinations. Unless they are made thusly aware,
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there will undoubtedly occur many more cases such as that of John-Lawrence. More families
will be torn apart, more little lives will be lost. The only way to prevent it is to make people
aware of the Pertussis vaccine. Parents worldwide must be made to understand that this vaccine
is effective. It does, indeed, save lives.
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Works Cited
Aoyama, T. "Efficacy of Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in Young Infants." The Journal of
Infectious Diseases 167.2 (1993): 483-486. Print.
"CDC - Pertussis: Signs and Symptoms." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d.
Web. 2 June 2013. <http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/about/signs-symptoms.html>.
Cherry, James D., Philip A. Brunell, Gerald S. Golden, and David T. Karzon. "Report of the
Task Force on Pertussis and Pertussis Immunization-1988." Pediatrics 81.6 (1988): 933984. Print.
"Comments for Whooping cough| BabyCenter." BabyCenter | Homepage - Pregnancy, Baby,
Toddler, Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.
<http://www.babycenter.com/viewComments.htm?pageSize=15&startIndex=30&ccCont
entType=ARTICLE&ccContentId=10911&ccOwnerId=>.
Edwards, Katheryn M.. "Acellular Pertussis Vaccines: A Solution to the Pertussis Problem?."
The Journal of Infectious Diseases 168.1 (1993): 15-20. Print.
Gangarosa, E, A Galazka, C Wolfe, L Phillips, R Gangarosa, E Miller, and R Chen. "Impact Of
Anti-vaccine Movements On Pertussis Control: The Untold Story." The Lancet 351.9099
(1998): 356-361. Print.
Hagland, Mark. "Financial Incentives - How Does Your Doctor Get Paid? | Dr. Solomon's
Dilemma | FRONTLINE | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
May 2013.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/doctor/care/capitation.html>.
Keitel, Wendy A.. "Cellular And Acellular Pertussis Vaccines In Adults." Clinical Infectious
Diseases 28.s2 (1999): S118-S123. Print.
Koplan, JP , SC Schoenbaum, MC Weinstein, and DW Fraser. "Pertussis vaccine--an analysis of
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benefits, risks, and costs." New England Journal of Medicine 301.17 (1979): 906-911.
Print.
Schmitt, MD, Heinz-J.. "Efficacy of Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in Early Childhood After
Household Exposure." The Journal of the American Medical Association 275.1 (1996):
37-41. Print.
Thomas, M. G.. "Epidemiology Of Pertussis." Clinical Infectious Diseases 11.2 (1989): 255-262.
Print.
Wirsing Von Konig, Dr CH, S Halperin, M Riffelmann, and N Guiso. "Pertussis of adults and
infants." The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2.12 (2002): 744-750. ScienceDirect. Web. 29
Mar. 2012.