2024-03-06 12:03:14
The vaccination against whooping cough (pertussis) should be refreshed earlier than before. According to the Austrian vaccination plan, the immunization must be repeated between the ages of seven and nine, but preferably “when starting school”. In the case of pertussis, there is a “more rapid decrease in vaccination protection than expected,” said the doctor Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt on Wednesday at the pharmacists’ conference in Schladming. There has been a dramatic increase in infections since 2014.
From the age of six onwards, there is “a significant drop in antibody levels (“waning”) and increasing infection rates,” is also recorded in the pertussis vaccination plan. Children aged five to six years have low antibody titers, explained Wiedermann-Schmidt at the training conference for pharmacists. This means that “children of this age should be refreshed again before starting school, but at the latest when they start school, not just in the third to fourth grade of elementary school,” emphasized the vaccinologist.
Pertussis is a “bacterial problem child,” said Wiedermann-Schmidt. The reportable infection begins with a flu-like stage for one to two weeks and is highly contagious. This is followed by “staccato coughing fits” with thick mucus and vomiting for four to six weeks. “Infants are particularly at risk of hospitalization and death,” warned the doctor. However, pertussis can also cause severe disease in old age.
Vaccinations against pertussis have been available since 1974. Before that, there was a “massive problem with whooping cough,” explained the vaccination expert. However, there has been a continuous increase in cases since 2014, only interrupted by the corona pandemic. The incidence of 29 per 100,000 people last year “almost corresponds to the numbers we had before the vaccination era,” reported Wiedermann-Schmidt.
Possible causes are not only the earlier drop in antibodies, but also insufficient vaccination rates in infants with immunization combined with diphtheria, tetanus and polio. We should reach 95 percent “and with the third vaccination we are below 70 percent on average in the federal states,” reported Wiedermann-Schmidt. After changing the vaccines, they no longer prevent pathogens from settling in the throat. The infection can be passed on despite vaccination protection, and herd protection is lacking.
Furthermore, the pertussis vaccination should be refreshed in the second to third trimester of pregnancy in order to protect the child after birth. “Antibody protection is missing in 74 percent of pregnant women,” emphasized Wiedermann-Schmidt. The doctor assured that it is a safe vaccination during pregnancy with a recommendation from the National Vaccination Board.
(SERVICE – Austrian vaccination plan: )
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