We boost measles immunity, Now we need to look at Whooping Cough
Whooping Cough Vaccine Not Just for Kids Anymore
From St. Louis University In the first study of its kind, researchers at Saint Louis University have demonstrated that immunization with a new vaccine could potentially prevent more than a million cases of pertussis (whooping cough) each year in adolescents and adults.
Most children are protected from pertussis by a series of vaccines in early childhood. But the vaccine protection wanes after a decade or so, leaving adolescents and adults susceptible to the bacterial infection.
"It's a misconception that you're protected from pertussis for life if you've been vaccinated as a child," said Stephen J. Barenkamp, M.D., professor of pediatrics and one of the study's clinical investigators. He also is director of the Pediatric Research Institute at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "The study demonstrated that an estimated one in 300 adolescents and adults contracts the illness each year. The results also demonstrate that an effective vaccine is now available for this population and its use should be strongly encouraged."