California is in the midst of a Whooping Cough (AKA pertussis) epidemic. Nine infants have died...from coughing. Babies are not strong enough to handle the intense bouts of that sort. More than four thousand cases have been reported. It doesn't have to be like that.
Aside from those who died, many children will require emergency room treatment. Their faces may turn blue from lack of oxygen. They are at risk for brain damage should that continue for very long. They may also have muscle strains, particularly in the abdomen, for the effort.
We have a vaccine for this. Infants should start receiving it at two months of age. The dose is repeated at four and then at six months. For the babies, it is not a shot. It's something they swallow. Even one dose of the vaccine could help a child survive, though to prevent catching the infection they require all three.
To protect our children, we adults need to have booster shots. Medical authorities are urging parents, siblings and other caregivers of small children to get the shot. This could prevent the needless death and injury of more of our children.
You see, Whooping Cough is not like the measles or chicken pox. Those are viruses, and the vaccines last a long time. Whooping Cough is caused by a bacteria. That means that catching it once does *not* give you lifelong immunity. You can catch it again and again.
It would be very hard to know you have the illness in the first two weeks. It symptoms are similar to those of the flu. At about the two week mark, however, the coughing changes. Intense bouts of coughing occur, usually at night. Thick mucus may also be formed and cause further problems. These symptoms can last as long as ten weeks.
Once you are dealing with a fit of this coughing, it is nearly impossible to breathe. A high pitched sound comes out of your throat as you try to fight against it, desperate for oxygen. The fits can last for several minutes, and you will be exhausted by it. Unfortunately, it will happen again and again. That's what kills the infants who catch it. They don't have the strength for that sort of coughing.
I know that many parents are worried about the side effects these immunizations pose, but how does that fear compare with the fear that your baby will die? My career as a Master Herbalist should tell you that I prefer to handle things the natural way if possible. We had our kids immunized, and I will urge the same thing for our grandchild to be born sometime in May. That's how important I think this is.
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