Whooping Cough Closes Down School of Non Vaxxers

[Dr. Strange]

Ever wish you had a crystal ball to peer at your future? Non-vaxxing parents, here you go. A private school in Virginia where a host of students have parents who don't believe in vaccinations was forced to close its doors last month.

The problem? An outbreak of a communicable disease easily prevented with a vaccination, naturally. Of the 30 people down with whooping cough at the Blue Mountain School, 23 were students (half the student body), and none had been vaccinated with the DPT shot that prevents pertussis, the medical term for whooping cough.

More: http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/118952/whooping_cough_closes_down_school

I've got my popcorn.

[KittyWampus]

1. This is one vaccine I can't imagine not giving a child.

[LynneSin]

4. that comment means you are officially NOT Jenny McCarthy

the stupids reign big time in that one

[SidDithers]

2. K&R...

Teh stoopid. It burns.

Sid

[LynneSin]

3. Geez that's a nasty disease

Last for 6 weeks?

ugh

oh, and if there are infants in any of those homes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pertussis#Prognosis

Infection in newborns is particularly severe. Pertussis is fatal in an estimated one in 100 infants under two months, and fatal in one in 200 infants aged two to 12 months. Infants under one are also more likely to develop complications (e.g., pneumonia (20%), encephalopathy, seizures (1%), failure to thrive, and death (0.2%)). Pertussis can cause severe paroxysm-induced cerebral hypoxia and apnea. Reported fatalities from pertussis in infants have increased substantially over the past 20 years.

[Brigid]

5. Makes me wonder . . .

how long vaccines last. I am in my fifties, so shots like that were many decades ago for me. If I ran into one of those kids, would I still be immune?

[kick-ass-bob]

8. from CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/pertussis/default.htm#vacc

Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccines

There are several formulations of vaccines used to prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Some are combined with vaccines to prevent other diseases and reduce the total number of shots that someone receives at one office visit. In the U.S., DTaP, Tdap, and Td vaccines are most commonly used. One of these (DTaP) is given to children younger than 7 years of age, and two (Tdap and Td) are given to older children and adults.

Children should get 5 doses of DTaP, one dose at each of the following ages: 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months and 4-6 years.

Td is a tetanus-diphtheria vaccine given to adolescents and adults as a booster shot every 10 years, or after an exposure to tetanus under some circumstances. Tdap is similar to Td but also containing protection against pertussis. Adolescents 11-18 years of age (preferably at age 11-12 years) and adults 19 through 64 years of age should receive a single dose of Tdap. For adults 65 and older who have close contact with an infant and have not previously received Tdap, one dose should be received. Tdap should also be given to 7-10 year olds who are not fully immunized against pertussis. Tdap can be given no matter when Td was last received. Updated Jan 2011

(Upper-case letters in these abbreviations denote full-strength doses of diphtheria (D) and tetanus (T) toxoids and pertussis (P) vaccine. Lower-case “d” and “p” denote reduced doses of diphtheria and pertussis used in the adolescent/adult-formulations. The “a” in DTaP and Tdap stands for “acellular,” meaning that the pertussis component contains only a part of the pertussis organism.)

[Brigid]

14. I may just have to talk to my GP about a booster.

Thanks. :)

[kick-ass-bob]

15. I know.

It's time for my tetanus shot, I'm going to be asking about Tdap instead.

[Tippy]

6. I had Whooping Caugh as a child (before vaccinations) And the

first time I heard that caugh on TV, I remembered vividly the sound and how horrible I felt......these people who do not get their kids vaccinated, are criminals in my book

[ck4829]

7. We'd still have smallpox around today if the Jenny McCarthy's were around before it was eradicated

[Bunny]

9. Dumbass parents.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[notadmblnd]

11. I doubt that these children's parents were anti-vaxxers

sounds like a small Appalachian town and the parents may not have the means nor the access to medical services. It's a shame that these children got sick, but what is a bigger shame is that people in this country still don't have access and many don't have the means to obtain medical services.

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. If they have money to send their kids to a private school, they probably have money to vaccinate

[notadmblnd]

16. This blue Mountain School?

http://www.bluemountainschool.net/

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. Tuition is a few thousand dollars a year:

http://www.bluemountainschool.net/registration

[Dr. Strange]

13. Part of it might be that...

but at least some of the families specifically asked for a religious exemption.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/282419