Pertussis is the dreaded whooping cough, which is actually on the rise. I was reading about it yesterday, and was shocked to find out the statistics:

          Pertussis is the only infectious disease for which children are routinely
            immunized that is on the rise. After
            immunization was introduced in the 1940s, the number of pertussis
            cases dropped by almost 100 percent. However, the number of cases
            is rising. Often misdiagnosed as a cold, pertussis may be vastly
            underreported. In 2005, more than 25,000 cases were reported, but
            the number of annual cases may be much higher.

Many factors account for the rise:

• Not all babies are getting the vaccinations they need.
• Protection against whooping cough through early childhood vaccination
              decreases over time, and teens and adults can become infected repeatedly.
• Pertussis rates among adults have gone up 16-fold in the past 15
              years.
• Children, teens and adults with undiagnosed pertussis can spread
              the disease to others. In
              fact, 90% of unvaccinated children living with someone who has pertussis
              will get the disease.

It’s important to immunize against pertussis, because more than 50% of children who get the disease end up in the hospital because of it. Is there anything scarier than your kid being so sick that they have to be hospitalized?

Spend some time reading up about it, and make sure your kid’s immunizations are current. This is important stuff.