Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease that can potentially be fatal for infants. It causes severe coughing characterized by a “whoop” sound made when gasping for breath after a coughing fit. Picture an infant struggling to breathe, turning blue, coughing off and on for days, without much rest.
Then, imagine if YOU gave the disease to your baby.
What most parents don't realize, and what inspired the launch of a new education campaign called "Sounds of Pertussis" (http://www.soundsofpertussis.com/) with the March of Dimes, is that nearly half of all infants who get whooping cough catch it from a parent.
It is easy for adults to protect themselves and help reduce the spread of this disease to their infants by getting vaccinated with an adult pertussis booster. This is a shot for the parent not the baby.
With pertussis cases on the rise within the past decade, it’s urgent for parents and anyone in close contact with the infants to understand the importance of getting an adult pertussis booster to help protect themselves and the babies in their lives.
Check out www.soundsofpertussis.com to learn more.
Disclosure: In addition to believing strongly about this topic and feeling the desire to educate others about it, I am also a member of the PR team that is actively promoting www.soundsofpertussis.com and the importance of adult Tdap vaccination.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
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