Good news, folks. Pertussis is back. Oh, maybe you know it better as Whooping Cough? Well, whatever you call it, the little bugger’s on the rise in California, so much so that they have released a statement saying that it’s officially an epidemic. There’s more details in this post from Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy blog if you’re curious, and there’s also this article from the New York Times.

It seems strange to me that we live in a world where pertussis can still be a viable threat, but as I’ve dug into this a bit, I adequately certain that I am not up to date on my own vaccinations. It’s an important reminder that I’ve got to fix that. Funny to think, but as surly as I am towards the anti-vaxxers, I am (at least at present) a part of the problem. Fortunately, the solution is readily available.

My knee-jerk reaction was to bitch about the anti-vaxxers in this post, but the more looking into it I did (including the aforementioned embarassing realization) the more I came to realize that this is a bigger issue. One of the significantly largest outbreaks in the area is in an area highly populated with Latino immigrants, and the five children who have died were all Latinos. It is plausible (though simple speculation) that these particular communities may have significantly lower immunizaation rates due to a variety of factors ranging from not being aware of the free pertussis vaccinations to distrust of the medical establishment. However, one way or the other we are dealing with a disease that is largely preventable through immunization. There needs to be a greater push towards ensuring that more people understand the issue, including those who, like myself, have allowed their vaccinations to slip.

I for one will be getting caught up on my shots. How about you?

Jim