Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/139497
Dr. Mary Saunders, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist with Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL, says she is seeing more whooping cough cases than she ever has in her career. "And I couldn't hold him for 14 days," says Castillo, who slept on the hospital couch that whole time, her husband and parents caring for her daughter. Protecting the babies Health officials never pinpointed how Jeremiah contracted the disease, but Drummond's daughter's infection was traced back to "the one family member who hadn't been vaccinated," illustrating the need for what doctors call "cocooning," she says. Because infants can't complete a protective vaccination course before age 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend vaccinating all of those around them. Any adult who did not receive a booster as a teen and comes into contact with a baby should be vaccinated. In response to a rising number of cases and infant deaths, the CDC now recommends vaccinations for all pregnant women, regardless of vaccination history, in their third trimester, which can pass antibodies onto the fetus and help protect baby in those first, most susceptible, months. Up to 40 percent of infant cases are traced back to the mother, according to the CDC. Castillo offered two pieces of advice: One, "Get your family vaccinated. Afterward, the doctors told me that when Jeremiah was in the ICU, they didn't think he was going to make it. I almost lost him." And two, "Always trust your motherly instincts. I wish I did." U.S. pertussis cases and deaths in children dropped considerably after routine vaccination was begun. Average annual numbers pre-vaccine Cases: 200,000 | Deaths: 9,000 Average annual numbers post-vaccine Cases: 10,000-25,000 | Deaths: 10-20 Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health and Wellness Magazine • 23