whooping cough, pertussis

[darrel]

i need to find out if my grandchildren can get  this disease if they have had there dpt shots and they are up to date.  they range between age of 6 & 8.  they are going on vacation and they have a two month old cousin who has whooping cough.  adults and other children have been exposed.  what is the chance of my grandchildren who have their dpt shots to catch this disease/what precautions do we need to take?

[National Jewish]

When the vaccine is given it is only 80-85% effective.  The protection decreases greatly after 5-10 years.  I would strongly suggest that your grandchildren should not be exposed to their two-month-old cousin.  They should not be exposed to anyone else who has been exposed to their cousin.

[MacyMaid]

My hubby and I both, the doctor's suspect,  we had adult onset whooping cough this past spring. No telling where we picked this up from.  



We wanted a vaccine but they told us that none were available in the US for adults as they have not been approved.



I am still feeling residules of this.  This thing can last over 100 days and with residules another 2-3 months.