We recently took care of a family that had a child with pertussis, also known as whooping cough. This illness highlighted a surge in the number of vaccine-preventable illnesses that we are seeing globally, nationally and even here in northern Michigan.
Dr. Vince recently attended a talk by Dr. Natasha Bogdasarian, our state’s Chief Medical Executive, in which she shared some interesting insights about the health of our community from multiple perspectives, including vaccine-preventable illness.
Pertussis cases will likely triple in the US this year, and reach a 5 year high. Highly contagious, it is a significant threat in particular to babies and without proper vaccination, serious complications to babies are not uncommon.
We are also seeing more measles infections. Very, very contagious, measles is more than a fever with a rash. It can cause serious pneumonia, brain swelling and death. A disease that officially was eradicated in the US in 2000 has seen growing numbers of cases again. Michigan has had six cases so far this year with 214 cases nationally.
While the isolation we all experienced during the worst of covid led to a delay in the spread of covid and other contagious infections, the recently increasing cases of vaccine preventable infection are also a consequence of declining immunization rates overall. Data from a recently convened Michigan Academy of Family Physicians immunization roundtable discussion showed that only 66.9% of children aged 19 through 35 months had received all the recommended vaccinations, a drop from 73.5% in March 2019.
But it isn’t just babies and children we need to worry about. Those with chronic illnesses or advanced age that may render them more vulnerable to serious infections are also at risk for being under-vaccinated.
We here at Table Health respect people’s health values, choices, and circumstances; and we don’t necessarily recommend all vaccines for all people at all stages. At the same time, we also want to caution everyone regarding the surge in vaccine preventable infections and our ability to effectively combat this with well-recognized and respected immunizations. We encourage you and yours to review your own vaccine needs, and the needs of those you love. Here is a link to current immunization schedules. Come to the Table and talk with us.