Re: “Add whooping cough to the list of preventable diseases that are back” (May 1, Opinion):
I can only echo the pleas for vaccination made by Donna A. Gaffney and Teri Mills, and share a personal story.
I was unknowingly exposed to pertussis at work in 1997 before boosters were recommended for pregnant women, started coughing shortly after I delivered my baby and knew she was infected when she started coughing at 2 weeks of age. It was the hardest period our family underwent despite having two physician parents, a grown-up experienced nanny and my mother at home to help. Ellie coughed until she was blue or vomited. There were coughing spells every 20 minutes around the clock. It was difficult to feed her. We could do nothing but support her. We had an open invitation at the hospital to bring her in when we couldn’t take it any longer, a point we never reached.
Pertussis lasts 100 days. Airway blockages, brain damage and death are, of course, the worst outcomes, but even a relatively mild case where a baby can stay at home is a terrible experience for a family.
I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone, and the shame is that it is preventable by a vaccine.
Karin Madwed, M.D., Seattle