Researchers found the odds of contracting whooping cough following vaccination increased by 27 per cent each year, although the overall risk remained small. The current vaccine for pertussis, or whooping cough, is highly effective during the first three years after children get their shots, but immunity wanes over the next several years, leaving little protection from the disease, researchers have found. Before the introduction of Canada’s public pertussis vaccine program, annual incidence of the disease averaged 156 cases per 100,000 people. Almost 450 cases of whooping cough were confirmed, including 13 that required hospital admission. “And after that, the question is how long are people going to be protected?”Part of the answer seems to lie in the type of whooping cough vaccine given to kids.

Source: thestar September 26, 2016 21:56 UTC