Vaccination against whooping cough (pertussis) should be renewed earlier than before. According to the Austrian vaccination program, vaccination should be repeated between the ages of seven and nine, but preferably “at the start of school”. In the case of pertussis, “there is a faster decline in vaccine protection than expected,” Dr. Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt told a pharmacists' conference in Schladming on Wednesday. The number of infections has increased dramatically since 2014.
From the age of six, a “significant decrease (“decreasing”) in antibody levels and an increase in infection rates,” was also recorded in the pertussis vaccination program. Wiederman-Schmidt explained at a training conference for pharmacists that children between the ages of five and six have the lowest antibody titers. This means that “children of this age should be revaccinated before they start school, but when they start school, not just in the third to fourth grade of elementary school,” the vaccine expert emphasized.
Pertussis is a “bacterial problem child,” Wiederman-Schmidt said. A reportable infection begins with a flu-like condition lasting one to two weeks and is highly contagious. This is followed by four to six weeks of “staccato cough fits” with thick phlegm and vomiting. “Children are particularly at risk of hospitalization and death,” the doctor warned. However, pertussis can cause serious illness in older people.
A steady increase in cases
Vaccines against pertussis have been available since 1974. Before that, the vaccine expert explained, “There was a big problem with whooping cough.” However, cases have continued to rise since 2014, interrupted only by the coronavirus pandemic. Last year's figure of 29 per 100,000 people “is almost identical to what we had before the vaccine era,” Wiederman-Schmidt said.
Possible reasons are not only earlier decline in antibodies, but also inadequate vaccination rates for children with diphtheria, tetanus and polio co-immunizations. We need to reach 95 percent, “by the third vaccination we are below the average of 70 percent in the federal states,” said Wiedermann-Schmidt. After switching vaccines, they do not prevent pathogens from colonizing the throat. Infection spreads despite vaccine protection, and herd protection is low.
Also, pertussis vaccine should be renewed in the second to third trimester of pregnancy to protect the baby after birth. “74 percent of pregnant women lack antibody protection,” Wiederman-Schmidt asserted. The doctor assured that it is a safe vaccine during pregnancy with the recommendation of the National Immunization Board.
Service: Austrian Vaccination Program: https://go.apa.at/ercinwcK
