Vaccination News Home Page                                            subscribe Vaccination NewsLetter

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134670346_whooping07m0.html

A mother warns of whooping cough

By Rebecca Cook
The Associated Press

E-mail this article Print this article Search web archive

Most people think of whooping cough as a distant memory, an illness that modern medicine vanquished a decade ago.

But to Mary-Clayton Enderlein of Mill Creek, the disease is an all-too-recent memory.

When she was nine months pregnant, Enderlein caught whooping cough from an infected playmate of her oldest son. Her water broke during a coughing fit, and she immediately gave the disease to her newborn son, Colin.

"The first time I kissed this baby, I passed it on to him," Enderlein said. "He had no chance."

For the next six months, Enderlein and the rest of her family battled for Colin's survival. Whooping cough, named for the gasping sound patients make as they struggle to catch their breath, can cause people to cough so hard they break a rib.

"It was a very scary time," Enderlein said.

Her experience isn't unique. Washington had 578 cases of whooping cough last year, the eighth-highest rate of the disease in the country. So far this year, 83 cases have been reported.

The contagious respiratory ailment caused hundreds of thousands of child deaths in the United States before the 1940s, when vaccinations against it began. But the disease, also called pertussis, has been making something of a comeback since the 1980s. The number of babies who contracted the illness increased 37 percent in the 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children still die from whooping cough. The disease has killed three children in the state since 1996.

"People do underestimate the danger," said state Deputy Medical Epidemiologist Marcia Goldoft. "People forget this was a major killer of children and, very tragically, it is still killing infants in Washington state."

It nearly killed Colin. As with most adults who contract whooping cough, Enderlein was mildly sick and thought she only had a cold. But the disease is much more severe and dangerous for infants.

Colin came home from the hospital attached to heart monitors. He coughed and coughed until he threw up or turned blue. Sometimes the lack of oxygen during a coughing fit would stop his heart, and Enderlein would have to vigorously pat him on the back to get his lungs and heart working again.

"Usually it would make him cry," she said. "It's not the way you want to spend your baby's first few months."

Gradually, Colin recovered. He's now an energetic 12-year-old who loves skiing, camping and science — especially any project that involves building things.

His brush with death continues to affect his family.

"We realized how fragile and precious life was, and made some lifestyle changes," Enderlein said as she and Colin sat in a sunny bookstore-cafe.

Enderlein stopped working full time to spend more time with her kids. She does some home-schooling, trains triathletes and stays active in social causes — especially immunization campaigns.

The child who gave her whooping cough had not been vaccinated because his family didn't believe in immunizations. Some parents fear vaccines may cause problems such as autism, although research has found no definitive links.

After watching her baby struggle for life, Enderlein has a hard time sympathizing with parents who oppose vaccination.

"A choice not to vaccinate is a choice that has implications far beyond that family," Enderlein said. "It's our social responsibility to immunize our kids."

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company

Vaccination News Home Page

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.