Los Angles County now hit with outbreak of Whooping Cough
At least one cluster reports that all of the children who came down with whooping cough were vaccinated.
We have been following the serious outbreak of the flea-borne disease typhus in the Los Angeles area.
The number of infected people in LA is now 107. But now, area public health officials are worrying about a whopping cough (a.k.a. pertussis) outbreak.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is reporting an increase in clusters of pertussis cases among 11 to 18-year olds across the county.
Health officials note that the overall number of pertussis cases has not yet increased in LA County compared to the prior five years, the number of reported clusters of pertussis cases has risen in 11 to 18-year-olds who share classrooms, carpools/transportation, or extracurricular activities.
Currently, there are three reported clusters in different areas of LA County with a median of 17 cases per cluster.
The county Department of Health has issued a health alert to health care providers about the outbreak in whooping cough. The public health agency indicated there are three clusters in different areas of the county, but has not publicly revealed all the cluster locations.
One location, however, has been the focus of media attention.
Harvard-Westlake, which has campuses in Studio City and Beverly Crest, was hit particularly hard, with 30 students coming down with whooping cough since November, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Of about 1,600 students attend Harvard-Westlake, where tuition is close to $40,000 a year, only 18 opted out of vaccinations for medical reasons. None of the 30 students who contracted whooping cough were not vaccinated. [emphasis added]
School officials say they have done all they can to control the outbreak, including sending students home, sanitizing classrooms, and implementing a new protocol that requires students who stay home sick must be tested at a hospital for whooping cough before they can return to class.
The most troubling aspect of the report is that the spread of this illness is not a consequence of anti-vaccination preferences, as had been the case with recent measles outbreaks near Portland. All the infected schoolchildren were vaccinated.
Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The disease is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing. After coughing fits, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breaths, which result in a “whooping” sound.
Pertussis can affect people of all ages, but can be very serious, even deadly, for babies less than a year old.
Health critical care specialists call it a nasty sticky bug.
“When the bacteria infects us, it sticks to the little hairs in our trachea. It’s a very persistent bug,” said Dr. Shant Shirvanian with Adventist Health.
….But the best way to protect against pertussis is with the diphtheria tetanus pertussis immunization or DTaP. The vaccination is given in infancy followed by a booster dose at age 11 or 12. But the shot doesn’t give complete immunity.
“Just because you’re vaccinated doesn’t mean you won’t get whooping cough but it does decrease the chance of you getting severely ill from it.” Shirvanian said.
I sure hope that the health experts determine why exactly these outbreaks are occurring, particularly in reportedly vaccinated people.
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If I remember correctly, a person should be getting the DT booster every 5-10 years, depending on exposure to dirt/open wounds. Add the “P” part of the vaccine if you are near children, such as a grandchild.
So, the kids may be vaccinated, but the adult caretakers may be just having a persistent cough and cold-like symptoms and may be spreading the illness. We all know of adults who suffer during the cold season and won’t get tested or even see a doctor.
I carry an old-fashioned cloth handkerchief whenever I am out. If there are people coughing, I just get it out and pretend to be coughing/sneezing into it.
If the kids are vaccinated, then it shouldn’t matter what the adults carry.
I think the point is that the vaccine may be losing effectiveness.
Bingo. Even if the prior vaccination is simply weakening in effectiveness, a full blown case of the disease should not happen. Decades ago I had my scheduled Typhoid booster shot, and was flat on my back within hours. Thankfully the case of Typhoid didn’t last but a couple of days. The doctor said I had picked up a live case of Typhoid eating on the economy and it was acting as a booster (i.e. my previous immunization was working, I wasn’t sick and my body was fighting the bacteria). My bad luck to have my booster at the same time which pushed me into a mild case of Typhoid (I never, ever want the real thing).
So this apparently is a case of a resistant strain because the immunization is not providing protection for some children.
The nihilistic left is succeeding in turning us into a Third World Nation. On demand electric power is their next goal. They call it the “Green New Deal”. Destroy this once great Nation from within.
Cracked up at the President’s comment on this. “Darling, is the wind blowing today? I’d like to watch television, Darling.”
but, but , but …… we need open borders !
So we can commit “National Suicide” by
criminals, disease, drugs, terrorists …..
We need an enforceable quarantine to mitigate the risk of undetected transmission of alien antigens and vectors (e.g. people, animals).
Why do we have to re-learn lessons our grandparents (and before) learned?
“Just because you’re vaccinated doesn’t mean you won’t get whooping cough but it does decrease the chance of you getting severely ill from it.” Shirvanian said.
Vaccines prime an immune response. They are not magical elixirs without side-effects and do not prevent disease but rather curb its progress. The former and latter observations limit their consumption and distribution. The problem is not the people labeled with the pejorative “anti-vaxer” label, so-called “herd immunity” has limited significance, but the presence of antigens, especially of alien origin, and overlooked transmission vectors (e.g. vaccinated carriers).
overlooked transmission vectors (e.g. vaccinated carriers)
Which promotes a false sense of security, deceiving people to drop their defenses, and encourages people to overlook rational, reasonable risk management measures. A vaccine is part of a risk management protocol that is designed to minimize direct and collateral damage from the disease, and vaccine and other treatments.
This is true but these seem to be full blown cases. It’s hard to argue with data that seem to indicate the vaccine may be losing effectiveness.
I pointed this out a few years ago when the WHO put out a report of outbreaks and blamed it all on anti-vaxxers. There was no way the data lined up with anti-vax movements because there were just too many cases to account for.
I hope they get a handle on it soon. My younger daughter was one of the first cases of the new wave of pertussis, at age 18, in 2001/2002. It was horrible. She had to drop out of college for a semester, and it took YEARS for her lungs to heal. She cracked a rib and dislocated another, coughing.
Fun Fact: I had a case when I was 14. You ever wonder why I am a big Star Trek fan? The syndicated series is what got me through 2 months of being essentially bed-ridden.
I was a teen when Star Trek came out, I liked chess and immediately copied their 3D chess board.
the VA insisted i get a DPT shot last fall…
talk about good timing.
Lost Angels is quickly degrading into a third world hellhole, and i don’t see that process doing anything but accelerating.
oh, how cute…
a down ding for what?
lame trolls are lame.
follow up to the H-W aspect of the story…
given the nature & resources of the families who send their kids there, i wonder how many of the “vaccinated” kids were only vaccinated on paper, but who didn’t actually get the shot?
This goes to show that if you allow too many from 3rd world to come that they make the destination into a third world place.
Point 1: The pertussis rate, for LA has not changed from the previous year, or years.
Point 2: Some clusters of cases have sprung up, which is not unusual. Pertussis is caused by a bacterium and the human body tends not to do a very good job at producing long term antibody protection against bacteria.
The vaccination schedule for pertussis DTaP vaccinations is 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months and 4-6 years. This would suggest that either the side effect from the vaccine are severe, especially in infants, so that a very diluted vaccine is used or that the vaccine is not very effective. Infants, very young children and those with bronchial problems are those at most risk for serious problem from the disease.
I wouldn’t lose a lot of sleep over this incident.
Maybe what has changed is who is being affected?
The repeated administrations have nothing to do with potency and everything to do with generating an immunological memory. Your assumptions are invalid.
Some of the most effective vaccines are against bacteria. TB, Meningitis (meningococcal not viral), Hep B, anthrax, etc.
True that some are better than others, but anti-bacterial vaccines are certainly no less effective than anti-viral vaccines, especially if the T cells response is stimulated.
Sorry, but virtually all vaccinations for bacterial diseases require periodic booster vaccinations to maintain effectiveness. And, in the case of such things as tetanus, it is recommended that adults receive a booster shot every 10 years and if a patient is exposed, or potentially exposed, to tetanus and has not had a booster in the preceding 10 years, it is common practice to administer one at that time. As for TB vaccinations, they are not even administered in the US an more. The one available has been found to be extremely variable in its effectiveness in preventing adult TB infections. And, most bacteriological diseases are directly treatable, with antibiotics, if diagnosed soon enough.
Viral infections, on the other hand, are usually not subject to effective antibiotic treatments. Treatment largely relies upon the body’s immune system to destroy the infection. Treatment is usually limited to relieving discomfort and symptoms. This is why vaccination is heavily touted for viral diseases. And, the effectiveness of the vaccines for viral diseases can be substantially lower than 100%. But, the established thinking is that an attempt at prevention is worth ineffective vaccination results and deleterious side effects.
Your assumptions are again inaccurate.
TB is less frequently given these days because the case load frequency has dropped. It’s the same reason the smallpox and polio vaccines are no longer administered (both of which are viral vaccines by the way).
All of this is irrelevant to your original assertion that the coursing somehow indicates that the vaccine is very dilute.
By the way, anyone can be checked for immunity by getting antibody titers against the offending pathogen. I imagine in these cases, the titers are low because the vaccine is losing its effectiveness, but ,although less likely, a mutant strain could cause the bacteria to escape surveillance.
Gee, wonder how that happens in a sanctuary city. Why, the next thing you know they’ll have scabies.