The 2010 California whooping cough outbreak is believed to have been triggered by vaccine refusal.
The 2010 California whooping cough outbreak was the worse epidemic since 1947. It killed 10 infants and infected over 9,000 individuals. Data revealed that most patients infected with this highly contagious bacterial infection were adults who refused vaccination for themselves or their children. Reasons for this vaccine refusal ranged from religious beliefs, allergic reactions and other personal issues.
"Not vaccinating your child is not a benign decision. It has real health consequences to the individual child and to the community," study author Dr. Saad Omer, said.
The observations was made after researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the California Department of Public Health conducted a study analyzing various outbreak patterns, focusing mainly on parents who filed for "non-medical exemptions" from the state's vaccination program.
Researchers found that people that fell under the "vaccine refusal" category were 2.5 times more likely to be infected with the diseases.
"The association remained significant after adjustment for demographic factors. Non-medical exemptions clustered spatially and were associated with clusters of pertussis cases," researchers of the study noted.
Whooping cough, scientifically known as Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection that can be prevented 100 percent by vaccination. Initial whooping cough symptoms include a common cough, running nose, low-grade fever and congestion. However, over time, the bouts of cough get more severe and are accompanied by vomiting and breathing, eating and sleeping problems.
The CDC has listed down three ways to help protect babies and infants.
- If you are pregnant, get vaccinated in your third trimester.
- Surround your baby with vaccinated family members and caregivers.
- Make sure your baby gets all doses of his whooping cough vaccine according to CDC's recommended schedule.
