What is Pertussis and Why Kids are Dying from It

At least three infants died in Kentucky from pertussis over the past 12 months according to Kentucky state health officials.  The sorrow of these deaths is magnified by the fact that these deaths did not have to happen.  We have had an effective vaccine against pertussis for over 100 years and it has significantly reduced the illness and death caused by this disease.

The full name of pertussis is Bordetella pertussis.  It is a bacterium that can cause an infection commonly referred to whooping cough.  This infection spreads through air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or spends significant time in close quarters with others.   In most of us who are vaccinated against pertussis, the symptoms are similar to those of a common “cold” including a prolonged cough.  In infants, the symptoms can be more severe including coughing to the point of vomiting, gagging, turning blue and, in some cases, death resulting from an inability to breathe adequately.

In my nearly 16 years of working as a pediatrician, I’ve only encountered one patient who tested positive for pertussis.  The patient had a “bad cold” that wasn’t improving like the other colds experienced in the past.  Fortunately, the symptoms were not severe enough to warrant hospitalization, and I was able to discharge the patient and family home from the Emergency Department.  After taking the appropriate antibiotic and close follow-up with the family’s pediatrician, the patient did well.  Medical personnel who came into direct contact with this patient (including me) also had to take medication prophylactically.

Up until recently, most of us were vaccinated against pertussis (it’s the “P” in the TdaP or DTaP combined vaccine).  Being vaccinated against pertussis makes it less likely that we would develop severe symptoms.  In recent years, we have seen that the protection that the vaccination gives us decreases over time.  This is one of the reasons that obstetricians recommend pregnant people and their partners receive a pertussis booster vaccination prior (if possible) to the birth of the newborn.

Children (especially infants) have little to no control over their health.  Their parents and/or caregivers are given the responsibility of advocating on behalf of and providing health care for them.  And for decades, most caregivers vaccinated their children against such diseases.  More recently, increasing numbers of parents are not allowing their children to be vaccinated against preventable (and sometimes deadly) diseases.  To make matters worse, vaccine skepticism is being stoked by contradictory and misinformed guidance from unqualified public health officials at the highest levels.

While we mourn the death of every child, the preventable deaths of children can be even more difficult to recover from and process.  As we gather for the upcoming holiday season, please be sure to speak with your primary care provider to ensure that you and your family get all the immunizations that are appropriate and medically indicated.  Failure to do so can be deadly.