Resistance To Whooping Cough Vaccine On The Rise

There is a vaccine against whooping cough, but recently, research has shown that some people may be becoming resistant to elements in the whooping cough vaccine. The vaccine contains numerous components to help ward off the disease; however, new studies have shown that in certain areas of the world, people have shown immunity to one of the main components, known as pertactin.

Immunity to pertactin is certainly a problem, because it means more people are contracting whooping cough than they have in the years since the vaccine was invented. Japan, France, and Finland have also shown signs of this vaccine immunity, and U.S. News is reporting that some recent cases of immunity have occurred in the United States, as well.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed earlier this year that whooping cough is, unfortunately, making a comeback. At the time, it was surmised that the whooping cough vaccine was wearing off on some adults and certain children were getting the disease due to not being vaccinated, but many scientists now believe that immunity may play a big role in why whooping cough has become a household word, once more.

In a letter published in the February 7 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists noted that the bug may be evolving to eliminate the pertactin in the vaccine, thus leading to increased cases of the disease across the globe. Even if the vaccine is not working as well as it used to, people should still get the vaccine, as some protection is better than none, despite what vaccine non-believers may tell you.

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