Whooping Cough/Pertusis

Was exposed over thanksgiving. I though nothing of it as I had my vaccine I even had the new style (too many d's and t's but if you haven't been vaccinated in the last 2 years, you need the new one. (Its different for adults and kids now)

Anyway Fri the phone rings and its the Public health department wanting to know where they should phone my z-pak to. I assured them i was okay because I was VERY up to date with my vaccines because I take Enbrel and MTX. She thanked me for the information, told me to report for IV antibiotics and a 14 day run of Cipro instead.

Called my Rheumy tio confirm overkill after all I was immunized. He asked if I could get down for the IV in the office before so as to avoid the Hospital charges. He did think I could take the z-pak instead of the cipro as I do poorly with cipro.

Granted this outbreak is in the Flathead Valley and they have been fighting it for a couple of years and it appears to be a special breed (even closed all the schools last year for a week) butif you are exposed CALL

Oh isn't that lovely? Glad to hear you aren't sick. Sorry to hear you still need to do the antibiotic route.

This is not nice. But whooping cough is worse. Hope the anti-biotics don’t do too many bad things to you.

We have annual outbreaks in the Seattle area, I got a booster a few weeks ago.

I guess I was suprised with a booster they still hve us taking preventive antibiotics..........

The wife of a guy I work with has had whooping cough for weeks. I guess the vaccine is 80% effective at best, and less effective in adults than in children.

I am surprised about that too Lamb. I have had the Tdap but I also had whooping cough as a kid before immunizations were as good as they are now. We get outbreaks every year. I had a Tdap booster last year. How often should we get it?

My Sister - in - Law (the dear one who exposed us all) had her Tdap booster last year. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital last night from a coughing spell. They are doing an MRI to see if she had any brain damage during the time they called and paramedics got there...........

I suspect this thing has developed a life of its own. I know CDC is getting samples. It would guess the vaccine needs an update again. I heard the 80% figure too. As contagious as this stuff is that doesn't put us in great stead.

Oh I will mention it to my PCP. I have had a cough but I smoke so I put it down to that. Yeah I know. But I don't drink much due to mtx so it is the one "sin" I have left. That and doughnuts........

I suffered with pertussis for 3 months in late 2011 myself. It was me, my son, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law that all had it. We knew to get tested because my brother-in-law tested positive for it, and then the rest of us ended up being positive for it. It hit me terribly hard, with two broken ribs from the coughing and horrible back spasms. I am only glad that I was not on biologics at the time I caught it, but it is awful. A Z-pak is a tiny price to pay to ensure that you do not catch it. It was also the prophylactic treatment given for any known exposures, such as my husband and other kids. And yes, we were all previously immunized. The worst part is that even though I have now had the illness, I am not protected from getting it again. Apparently, the antibodies for this illness do not work that efficiently?