|
|
|
|
|
You do everything to protect your little one.
But what about yourself?
Adults and adolescents can get whooping cough.
Help prevent it with the Adacel® vaccine.
|
|
WHY DO ADULTS NEED PERTUSSIS PROTECTION?
Pertussis is more common than you may think.
The proportion of pertussis cases in adolescents (≥15 years) and adults has increased from 9.6% in 1995 to 31.3% in 2004.
Between 1990 and 2004, the annual number of reported cases has ranged from 2,165 to 10,151. However, some believe these reports are underestimated.
Pertussis has been found in 10% to 20% of adolescents and adults with a cough illness lasting 7 days or more without improvement.
Even people who had routine immunization in childhood can become vulnerable to pertussis infection. This is because the effectiveness
of a vaccination can fade over time.
Adults are a major source of transmission to infants.
Altogether, household contacts are responsible for 76% to 83% of pertussis transmission to susceptible infants.
- Parents account for 55.1% of pertussis transmission;
- Siblings: 16.3%;
- Aunts, uncles, friends and cousins: 10.2%;
- Grandparents: 6.1%;
- Part-time caretakers: 2%.
In the first few months of life, infants are particularly vulnerable to pertussis infection. This is because they don’t develop adequate levels of immunity until they receive their third pertussis immunization at 6 months of age.
Pertussis infection in infants is dangerous because the most serious complications and deaths happen in members of this age group.
|
|
|
|
