🚨 Myth Busted: 80% of Pertussis Cases Are NOT in the Fully Vaccinated🙅🏽‍♀️ We’re seeing a rise in whooping cough (pertussis) cases in the US and globally. The vaccine is typically given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months, again after 4 years, at 11 years, and every 10 years after that and this is due to waning immunity (you need to get boosters to reduce risk of outbreak cases). Pertussis can be particularly dangerous for immunocompromised individuals and babies < 1 year as they need the full vaccine series for the best protection. About 1/3 of infants under 12 months require hospitalization due to serious complications like apnea (pauses in breathing) and pneumonia due to their vulnerability, and I unfortunately have seen these complications firsthand throughout my training and practice. So why are booster shots needed after the primary series is complete? 🤔 A decade-long study by Kaiser Permanente revealed that children were 5x more likely to contract whooping cough if > 3 years had passed since their last DTaP vaccine. The study identified 738 cases of pertussis, with over 80% of the cases occurring in fully vaccinated children due to waning immunity. Additionally, partially vaccinated children were nearly 2x as likely to develop pertussis compared to their fully vaccinated counterparts. The reduced long-term effectiveness of the DTaP vaccine is linked to it being an acellular vaccine, which replaced the more effective whole-cell DTwP vaccine in 1997. Although the DTwP vaccine significantly lowered pertussis cases, it was associated with more side effects, like febrile seizures. Waning immunity is a known issue, and ongoing research is focused on optimizing vaccine scheduling to address this concern.👩🏽‍⚕️ 🌟Are you looking for a deeper dive into the science of other vaccines? Comment or DM me “VACCINE GUIDE” to get a link to our revamped