I hope you stay well, Romani.
Of course, they are harming their children by refusing pertussis and other easily transmissible disease vaccines for non-medical reasons.
@romanigypsyeyes,
I’m so sorry. This has to be incredibly frustrating for you, in particular the part about putting life on hold for 1-2 weeks in fear you’ll come down with whooping cough. Sending good vibes over the internet to your immune system.
My fully immunized daughter caught WC when it went around her dorm at boarding school. I don’t know the immunization status of her WC positive friends. It was awful, because I was just coming off chemotherapy and couldn’t do a thing to nurse her. I wasn’t even allowed in the room with her. She had many weeks when she couldn’t sleep because of the cough and a few more when she ended up with an irritating reflexive cough (essentially, the body still thinking it has to clear the airway after the disease is no longer present).
I’m so sorry, Sue. Unfortunately vaccination for this wanes over time but for whatever reason it’s not one that’s commonly pushed on older adolescents and adults. Maybe I should make a thread about checking one’s WC vaccine status before going off to college.
I’m so sorry for you, @romanigypsyeyes! It is utterly selfish of these parents – exposing the kid and those who are immunocompromised to health dangers that are so easily avoided! I’m so sorry for the anxiety that all of you have to endure for this thoughtlessness.
My kids are also immunocompromised and have chronic conditions. We are cautious about what vaccinations they receive (the docs have unanimously agreed that the annual flu vaccine is NOT good for them), so they do rely on herd immunity as well.
Wishing the best for all of you and that all of you get the “all clear” soon and your H can find a job that doesn’t risk your health but one that he still loves like his current one!
When you get a “tetanus shot”, doesn’t it include pertussis and diphtheria too? That should do the trick if there were more awareness about getting your tetanus shot every 10 years. They were given out free in SC last October after the flooding.
The strange thing is that she’d had a booster before leaving for school a few months before. I guess she was just one of those unlucky few in whom the vaccine doesn’t take. That seems to be becoming more common with pertussis, although she might not have ended up with it if her peer group had proper herd immunity.
@greenwitch I’m not sure.
I was cleared to get a few vaccines last week by the rheumy and DID get the tetanus shot! (And Prevnar for pneumonia.) I will see if I can find out whether it was just the tetanus or if it was the triple shot.
I had the Tdap recently and that covers all three. From the CDC:
Tetanus vaccine boosters usually come with diphtheria vaccine. This combination is called Td. Recently, a combination that also includes acellular pertussis vaccine became available, called Tdap.
Romani- you may want to ask your physician if it would be a good idea to take a course of atbx for post exposure prophylaxis to pertussis. I don’t know how high a risk they will consider you have as you were not directly exposed to the child that has pertussis, but you are high risk so it is at least worth asking if that is recommended.
@cellomom2 thank you for that head’s up. I am sending him a message now!
That’s a good thought to ask your MD if there’s SOMETHING you can/should do as a preventative because of your H’s exposure. It sure sounds better than waiting and dreading.
Sent a message to both my PCP and rheumy.
Sigh. Definitely not another hurdle I wanted in the first week of classes!
Pertussis goes around every year in our area according to our health department. Not so many years ago, we had over 100 kids get it in some schools. But, supposedly it is less severe in immunized kids.
@HImom, I am very surprised the flu vaccine isn’t given to your kids. It’s not a live vaccine, and I know it is given to immunocompromised patients.
You’re welcome, good luck!
My kids got VERY ill each time they got a flu shot, even if they got mini-pediatric doses spaced out. The docs decided that the risks of them being sure to get sick for a month for each mini dose and possibly have a flare up of their chronic conditions was worse than the risk of them getting the flu. The docs were pretty unanimous and adamant about their decision and the kids were relieved to stop getting sick for at least a month with each shot.
tetanus shots for adults are usually ‘solo’ shots, just for tetanus.
Our internists give us DPT shots, though D and I are certainly adults–H even qualifies for every SR discount now, plus has to take RMD’s to satisfy IRS every year. We do have babies and young children in our life–niece, nephews, plus we fly on airplanes sometimes among the unvaccinated.
Following up. Thank you all for your recommendations. My PCP is putting me on the Zpack for prevention. Now I just have to hope that neither of my boys get sick. (“Boys” meaning Mr R and my best friend/housemate.)
My advisor and I had a good ranting session early about how much we hate that this is a thing. Her wife also has autoimmune diseases and has to be careful like I do.
(No, I have no idea how so many people in my life have immune issues. Apparently we all just gravitate towards each other!)