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Parents' vigilance needed to curb rising incidence of whooping cough
HOUSTON - (HealthNewsDigest.com)...Specialists at Texas Children's Hospital are encouraging parents to pay close attention to their baby's immunization schedule to curtail an alarming increase in the incidence of whooping cough.
"The number of whooping cough cases has gradually risen nationwide in the last decade and doubled in Texas since last year," said Dr. Julie Boom, director of the Immunization Project at Texas Children's Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.
"Pertussis -- better known as whooping cough -- is a bad infection that causes a severe coughing illness," Boom said. "Coughs become so severe that the infected person may have trouble catching their breath and can turn blue. The disease, which mostly affects babies who are not yet fully immunized, can result in hospitalization and is sometimes fatal."
Typical carriers may not even know they are infected.
"Whooping cough is transferred by cough droplets, close contact through respiratory secretions -- usually from an unknowing teen or adult with a coughing illness and a waned immunity to the disease -- to a baby who is not yet fully immunized," Boom said. "The elderly also are at risk."
Immunization against whooping cough is part of the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine given to babies at 2, 4 and 6 months and again at 15 to 18 months.
"While most parents remember the first three vaccinations, the fourth booster is the one most frequently forgotten," Boom said. "Some assume that once a baby walks, he or she no longer needs shots. It's important that every child completes the series."
Boom cited a growing complacency about immunization as one reason vaccination rates are low locally and nationally.
"Many of today's young parents were immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases as kids, and may have never even seen a person with measles or polio," she said. "As a result, they may not comprehend the risks of not immunizing their children."
The chance that immunization records may be fragmented compounds the problem.
"Many children relocate before the age of 2 years," Boom said. "Also, due to insurance carrier changes, which can cause a shift in healthcare providers, records may be split. Sometimes, records are simply misplaced. Unless a parent has kept track of immunizations, the child's shots may not be listed together on one document."
To consolidate a child's shot records, Boom recommends youngsters be enrolled in an immunization registry, a confidential, computerized information system.
"Today, a registry exists in some form in every state," she said. "Parents should be aware of the benefits and encourage their healthcare providers to participate."
Texas Children's Hospital offers a paper immunization record, known as a Shot Pocket® to local parents. To obtain a Shot Pocket®, call 832-824-2112.
For more information about Texas Children's Hospital, visit www.texaschildrenshospital.org.
FACT SHEET
Proper immunization needed to stop rising incidence of whooping cough
Whooping cough facts
* Also known as pertussis, whooping cough is a bad infection that causes a severe coughing illness. The infected person may turn blue and may have trouble catching his or her breath.
* Whooping cough is most likely to affect babies who are not yet fully immunized. The elderly also are at risk.
* Whooping cough is transferred by cough droplets or close contact through respiratory secretions.
* The carrier -- usually an unknowing teen or adult with a waned immunity to the disease -- may not even know he or she has whooping cough.
Whooping cough on the rise
* The incidence of whooping cough gradually has risen nationwide in the last decade and doubled in Texas since last year.
* The rising number of cases may be attributed to a growing complacency about vaccinations as well as fragmented immunization records. Among babies who receive the first three doses of the whooping cough vaccine, fewer return for the fourth booster dose.
How to protect your child from whooping cough
* Parents should pay close attention to their baby's immunization schedule.
* Parents are advised to have their baby immunized against whooping cough. The DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine is given to babies at 2, 4 and 6 months and again at 15 to 18 months.
* It is a good idea to register children with an immunization registry, a confidential, computerized information system.
Texas Children's Hospital
* Texas Children's is the affiliate of and primary pediatric teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine.
* The nonprofit Texas Children's Hospital, licensed for 737 beds, is the largest children's hospital in the United States and offers more than 40 pediatric subspecialties.
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