Whooping cough fears for older Aussies
Older Australians are being urged to get vaccinated against whooping cough to protect themselves and other vulnerable populations in the community such as young babies, following recent whooping cough outbreaks in NSW and Tasmania.
Australians over the age of 65, as well as young babies under the age of 12 months, are the population’s most vulnerable to whooping cough, a serious respiratory illness that can cause hospitalisation and sometimes death.
In March this year, 23 cases of whooping cough were reported on the mid North Coast of NSW, 11 of which were reported in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area.
In January, 124 cases of whooping cough were reported in Tasmania. Both outbreaks prompted official health warnings.
“There is a misconception in the community that whooping cough is a childhood disease, but it can occur at any age,” said TerryWhite Chemmart pharmacist Krystel Tresillian.
“Although there is an established vaccination program, regular outbreaks still occur in Australia as evidenced by the recent outbreak in Port Macquarie.”
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs or sneezes and people with whooping cough can be infectious for up to three weeks without appropriate antibiotic therapy.
“Older adults who are diagnosed with whooping cough are more likely than younger adults to develop serious complications, including pneumonia, fainting and urinary incontinence. According to statistics, one in 10 diagnosed cases in older adults end up in hospital,” Ms Tresillian said.
“People who should consider a whooping cough vaccination include those in close contact with newborn babies, such as grandparents or relatives, those with existing respiratory conditions or people over the age of 65.”
She said immunity waned as people aged and at least one booster vaccination was recommended for people who hadn’t been vaccinated against whooping cough in the past 10 years.
Especially where male patients are concerned it is not unusual to find a gap between what is recommended by national health (research council and the federal department) and sometimes by the doctors own professional association.
Having always been active outdoors I pay for the Boostrix vaccination (presently $45) on a minimum ten-year cycle and consider another booster if I get a puncture wound, or a cut in farm and some other environments. That is also the recommendation of health authorities.
I did so again only recently and at the same time asked the GP about: the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vax for when supplies catch up; and the Pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine.
The GP agreed with the Boostrix (I would have seen another doctor otherwise) and referred me for a blood test to check existing resistance for the other concerns. Yes, I do have resistance and while the GP said that is enough.
However, the National Immunisation Schedule site says otherwise for people at or over 65 years. The GP's directions appear to be at odds with the national immunisation schedule for people at or over 65 years. To add, the family is expecting new arrivals, we travel and naturally enough we are all checking our vaccinations because of warnings in the media.