Pertussis (whooping cough) IS a nasty, potentially fatal (especially for
young infants) illness.  That's why we vaccinate for it.  The reservoir is in
young adults currently.
There is a new version of the pertussis vaccine, the acellular form, which is
as effective as or more effective than the older whole cell vaccine and which
gives fewer side effects.  Many of us pediatricians have already switched to
the new acellular vaccine.  There is some discussion about using the
acellular vaccine to boost immunity in teens and young adults--I suspect that
we'll be seeing some recommendations about this in a year or less.
Having seen pertussis, I had no qualms at all about vaccinating my 4
(breastfed) kids (now teenagers) with the whole-cell vaccine.  Much much
better to prevent a disease by vaccination than to treat the disease!
Even the older whole cell vaccine had an excellent safety record, especially
when compared to the damage the disease can cause.
Linda L. Shaw MD
Altoona PA