Says Dr. Boonstra: The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is a - TopicsExpress



          

Says Dr. Boonstra: The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is a great one for protecting babies, when whooping cough is the most dangerous, but it can wear off by school age. A recent study in the British Medical Journal found that school-aged children with a cough over two weeks duration had a 20% chance of having pertussis. One caveat is that this was done in England, where they dont yet have a recommendation for an adolescent pertussis booster. Pertussis in older kids doesnt usually have the characteristic whoop that babies get, and is less dangerous than in babies, but can spread to others who are more vulnerable. A short course of antibiotics can help reduce the spread, so if your child has a cough lasting for more than two weeks, its worth asking the childs health care provider about the possibility of pertussis, regardless of the childs vaccination history.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 16:07:14 +0000

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