Three years ago, my entire family had pertussis. My almost 3 YO caught
it at the Ped's office by crawling around on the floor, and then eating
a candy as we left.  (We did learn to wash our hands after every Dr.
visit.)  It was the only place we went that entire week, 4 days before
and 3 after, due to a fussy 3 mo baby.

Next my husband caught it, then I caught it. When we returned from our
vacation, (where we exposed most of the kids in San Francisco area!), we
all went to the Dr.  Since I was due to come back the next day, the Ped.
(not my regular Ped.) encouraged me to go ahead and vaccinate my baby,
saying "If we wait until everyone in the family is healthy, then we'd
never be able to vaccinate babies."  I was too sick to think straight,
and knew I couldn't make it back the next day, so I let him.

4 days later my baby started to cough.

2 months later we were finally diagnosed with Pertussis clinically and
through blood tiders (21 low positive, 60 positive, mine 106!).  I know
this is just one observation, not a study, but until we challenged my
baby with the vaccination on top of being exposed to the live disease,
he didn't catch the disease, even though it had been in the house for
more than one month.   He's also IgA immune deficient.

BTW, I did continue to have my kids vaccinated.  What those health
videos on Whooping Cough can't show you is how incredibly painful the
coughing is!  I cracked ribs and vomited 9 times, in one night.  I was
only getting 3 hours of sleep at most, propped in the sitting position,
with my baby propped up against my breast.  I was too sick to move, so I
just leaned in bed and nursed!  My 3 YO would start to cough, and then
start crying (literally), "I don't want to throw up."  Still breaks my
heart.

And breastfeeding did save my baby's life!  With all the side effects of
Pertussis, apnea, seizures, ear infections, conjunctivitis, FTT and the
allergies he developed to the antibiotics, reflux meds and eventually
foods, my Pediatrician told me at one year, "If you hadn't breastfed, he
probably wouldn't have survived!"

Finally, adults aren't vaccinated for Pertussis, because as you get
older, your reactions to the vaccination get more severe and the
seriousness of the disease is less severe.  In adults, the vaccination's
side effects are more severe than the disease.
--
Dayna Williams
Reno, NV
mailto:[log in to unmask]