Do You Want to Hear Your Baby Crying for Breath?

If there is a vaccine for basically any disease, my vote is that you get it. One in particular, is for pertussis, aka whooping cough. When I was in middle school, it went around, so thank goodness I was vaccinated. These middle schoolers were obviously not babies, so their symptoms were not as extreme as if they were to give it to their baby siblings. It’s highly contagious, so if these kids sneezed, coughed, or even breathed near a baby without the vaccine, hell could erupt. Whooping cough causes the most dangerous effects in babies due to the respiratory infection. Very intense coughing occurs with difficulty breathing, limited amount of oxygen, vomiting, and even lead to death. Infants should get their first shot of the vaccine at about 2 months, so if an older person contracts the disease due to not receiving the vaccine, they may infect these infants. (not good)

Herd immunity is big for this disease, meaning you/your kids should all be getting your vaccines, and that means every booster shot. The Pertussis vaccine, DTaP, also prevents Diphtheria and Tetanus, giving you even MORE of a reason to get it. Children should get their 5 doses between 2 months and 6 years old, and finally a booster Tdap shot at 11 years old. It prevents the terrible whooping sound come out of your baby, and even may save its life. And if you’re older than 11 years old without the shots, that doesn’t mean its too late for you. You can still get vaccinated with Tdap and it will still prevent you from contracting the disease, and more importantly, spreading the disease.

“Why do we need so many shots for this infection?” you may ask. Well, that is because, unfortunately, after the first early shots, the vaccine begins to wear off. Multiple shots will give extra protection, preventing the complications of pneumonia, brain damage, and death. Having the booster shot will then “maintain the protection,” according to CDC. The vaccine can cause side effects, but none nearly as threatening as Pertussis itself. This can include swelling at the site of the shot, a slight fever, and vomiting. Compared to the damages of whooping cough in an infant, I think I would choose this over my baby dying. I would think you would too.