Study Finds Siblings Mainly Responsible For Infants’ Whooping Cough

Until now it has been believed infants catch whooping cough from moms, but in a latest study researchers find more comes from siblings and very less from dads and grandparents.

Researchers have come up with suggestions too that would help in protecting the acquiring of whooping cough from close contacts.

Parents, siblings and other close contacts need to be vaccinated or pregnant women should be give the shots. The first may not be too effective and hence it is suggested the second.

In a study data of more than 1,000 infants were analyzed who got diagnosed of the cough between the years 2006 and 2013. Researchers found siblings are mainly responsible in most of the cases. Dads, grandparents and aunts or uncles were the least responsible.

The online edition of Pediatrics journal contains detail of the study.

Whooping cough is highly contagious. Initially cold-like symptoms can be seen and followed by severe coughing fits. Five vaccine doses have been recommended for kids within the 6th birthday and at the 11th or 12th birthday a booster shot is suggested.

In the US the vaccination rates are high, but it is to remember the shots protect for just few yeras. The effectiveness decreases gradually.

Lead author of the study Tami Skoff said kids need to get vaccinated continuously for good protection from the cough.

Skoff is a researcher at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, it is to take note that only about 20 percent of pregnant women in the US get whooping cough shots.

In 2014 29,000 cases of whooping cough were reported and in 2012 the figure was 49,000 cases.

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