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Fatal pertussis in an Iowa infant
Iowa Medicine : Journal of the Iowa Medical Society
|September 1, 1991
Insights
The DPT vaccine
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Media focus on DPT vaccine adverse events often overshadows pertussis risks in infants.
- Pertussis, or whooping cough, remains a significant threat to unvaccinated children.
Observation:
- A case of a 5-week-old infant succumbing to severe pertussis is detailed.
- This case highlights the critical illness that can occur in very young, unvaccinated individuals.
Findings:
- Fatal pertussis occurred in a 5-week-old infant.
- The severity of whooping cough in unvaccinated infants can be extreme.
Implications:
- Underscores the importance of timely infant immunization against pertussis.
- Highlights the potential for severe outcomes in unvaccinated populations.
- Emphasizes the need to consider pertussis as a cause of infant mortality.
Abstract:
Much media attention has been paid to neurological disease induced by DPT vaccine, but what about the risk of pertussis to unimmunized children? The authors present a case report of fatal whooping cough in a 5-week-old baby.