While many of the articles on my feed reader this morning are pertaining to the government shutdown (because one party won’t stop their hissy fit about the Affordable Care Act), I am going to highlight one article about healthcare that probably will be overlooked today.
My awareness of public health issues is not all that great honestly; however, while presenting at the Graduate Student Summit this past spring, another presenter discussed his research regarding the Pertussis (whooping cough). He said whooping cough was appearing not only in the lowest income groups, but was almost eclipsed by the middle and upper income groups.
He noted access to services or transportation to services for the lower income groups as potential causes for not receiving the vaccines and following doses to provide immunity. For the other group, the one of middle and upper income, he noted research against vaccinating the children was the cause.
I was shocked. First, wouldn’t the disease be worse than the risk of vaccination? Second, whooping cough is happening?! Still?!
The next week I get a letter from Kari’s school. A child in the school had come down with whooping cough. Wow.
While few adults die from whooping cough, it does present a great risk to babies, children and people with compromised health.
Here is a link to the article on Boing Boing about why new parents need to be vaccinated. Also I suggest reading the linked article from that article.
In spite of the government shutdown, Obamacare still goes into effect today. Go get vaccinated!