New Republic writer Julia Ioffe has whooping cough (also known as pertussis), and she is placing the blame squarely on anti-vaccine crank Jenny McCarthy.
While we agree that McCarthy is a font of misinformation on vaccines, there are other factors at work here.
Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control website says about the causes of whooping cough outbreaks:
Q: I’ve heard about parents refusing to get their children vaccinated and travelers to the U.S. spreading disease; are they to blame for pertussis outbreaks?
A: Even though children who haven’t received DTaP vaccines are at least 8 times more likely to get pertussis than children who received all 5 recommended doses of DTaP, they are not the driving force behind the large scale outbreaks or epidemics…
Why, then, are whooping cough outbreaks increasing? Here, again, is the CDC’s perspective:
Since the early 1980s, there has been an overall trend of an increase in reported pertussis cases. Pertussis is naturally cyclic in nature, with peaks in disease every 3-5 years. But for the past 20-30 years, we’ve seen the peaks getting higher and overall case counts going up. There are several reasons that help explain why we’re seeing more cases as of late. These include: increased awareness, improved diagnostic tests, better reporting, more circulation of the bacteria, and waning immunity.
When it comes to waning immunity, it seems that the acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) we use now may not protect for as long as the whole cell vaccine (DTP) we used to use. Throughout the 1990s, the US switched from using DTP to using DTaP for infants and children…
Recommended
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases recommends that all non-elderly adults receive a booster shot.
The CDC also recommends a booster shot for all non-elderly adults.
For whatever reason, Ioffe didn’t get one.
For everyone asking: Yes, @juliaioffe was vaccinated. No, she didn't get a booster. She shouldn't need one. http://t.co/DrarCBFQD3
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) November 11, 2013
If outbreaks are caused by declining herd immunity, then aren’t adults who don’t get their booster shots part of the problem?
@juliaioffe @SusanBarnesRnR That's actually not true Julia,the way it works is you get an update in adulthood to remain vaccinated #yourbad
— anti-fascist Trash Panda (@standardheart) November 11, 2013
@juliaioffe @SusanBarnesRnR Actually it makes you part of the problem,you too are relying on herd-immunity, just like any other unvaccinated
— anti-fascist Trash Panda (@standardheart) November 11, 2013
@juliaioffe I don't think you're crazy,just ill-informed it's the same choice people without vaccinations are making, just on purpose
— anti-fascist Trash Panda (@standardheart) November 11, 2013
@juliaioffe what you choose to do medically is your private business but don't blame other people for your own choice not to get a booster
— anti-fascist Trash Panda (@standardheart) November 11, 2013
Ioffe doesn’t like that argument at all:
@standardheart @SusanBarnesRnR Yeah, mea friggin' culpa.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 11, 2013
At the same, she seems to acknowledge that, yes, she should have gotten the booster:
@sarahrodeo @tnr Yes, definitely regret not getting that.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 11, 2013
We’ll give journalist Seth Mnookin the last word:
V. sympathetic to @juliaioffe's awful case of whooping cough–my mom had it for 6+ mos, broke ribs–but don't like @tnr headline: (1/5)
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) November 12, 2013
"I've got whooping cough. Thanks a lot, @JennyMcCarthy." http://t.co/gSOgc6NUz3 True that pertussis more prevalent in areas (2/5)
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) November 12, 2013
with high # of exemptions, but that's only 1 part of story. Explosion of pertussis infections also result of under-immunzed (3/5)
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) November 12, 2013
adults w/waning immunity. Oversimplifying when anti-vaccine forces use misinfo opens up pro-science to accusations of fear-mongering. (4/5)
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) November 12, 2013
It's unfair that b/c 1 side traffics in lies, other side needs to be extra vigilant about hyperbole, but it's a reality. (5/5) #vaccines
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) November 12, 2013
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