Pertussis | Parenting In the Loop

NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY!

In early January, we noticed Brady was coming down with a cold. But when his fever spiked to 104, we had to rush to the ER for a whole bunch of tests. But after a while, they sent us all back home. After a scare like that, I started to send out Facebook posts to keep our friends and family updated on how Brady was doing.

via Brady’s Story | Shot by Shot.

If you have read this blog for awhile you then know that I recommend giving the full complement of vaccines to your children.

This story is something you, as a parent, should read if you are thinking about not vaccinating your children.

The reason there has been so little incidence of pertussis is that the last generation has been vaccinated against this deadly illness. But currently children who are not vaccinated are at risk of contracting pertussis…”whooping cough”.

“Whooping cough” is a horrible disease and death from pertussis is equally horrible and uncomfortable since it seems that a child dies from suffocation or not being able to breathe and get enough oxygen into their tiny body.

I have witnessed children dying…it is one of the most emotionally painful things that I have done in my career as a nurse. To stand by and know that there is nothing more that medicine can do to prevent a child from dying is excruciatingly frustrating and sad. To watch a family witness the death of their child is more painful than words can ever describe.

If you are questioning whether or not to vaccinate your children, please read Brady’s story. Do legitimate research and stay away from celebrity opinions because they are just that opinions…find a doctor that you trust and listen to him/her.

Resources:

Infections, Immunization, Vaccines

Vaccinations for Children, Why and When.

Vaccine Controversy….History Repeats Itself

Whooping Cough

Today I heard a disturbing piece of news regarding children and vaccinations.

Apparently, an infant who was not old enough to receive the pertussis vaccine was exposed to pertussis in a pediatrician’s office. This baby wound up extremely sick and hospitalized due to his exposure to pertussis, a potentially fatal, contagious disease.

This situation poses a dilemma.

Some pediatricians are now refusing patients whose parents are not allowing them to be immunized .

Where is the balance here??? I am not quite sure.

Personally, I would not want my child exposed to these diseases because as a pediatric nurse I have seen how they can ravage a healthy child and in some cases steal their life.

I am also aware of and empathize with the parental fears that surround childhood vaccinations. These vaccinations have been associated with autism. Even though the evidence that at first supported these fears has been sited as flawed, the fear is still there.

So, how do we work with the parents and children who are not vaccinated against these childhood diseases and at the same time protect infants who are not yet vaccinated?

Is refusing to treat the unvaccinated the ethical way to approach this? I don’t think so.

Perhaps, there is a way to separate those who refuse to be vaccinated by making specific office hours when these children can be seen by the pediatrician…this would be expensive but could be an option.

What do you think as a parent…and how does this problem affect you?

Parenting in the Loop

Tag Archives: Pertussis

Whooping Cough…A Tragic Story… Shot by Shot

Pediatricians refuse unvaccinated kids