whooping cough though child was immunised

[penguin70]

Hi, My 8yo son has a suspected case of whooping cough even though he was immunised as a baby/ child. (it's only suspected, doc advised against blood test or swab really far back in throat since so distressing and not really necessary). The cough first started Sat before Christmas and is as bad/ worse than ever though he is generally well and bright. He's completed a course of erythromycin to no noticable effect- I understand it's really to limit contagious period rather than help actual symptoms.

Just wondering if anybody else has been in the same position and how long it took to recover from. Doc said she suspects there's a lot of it going about misdiagnosed as chests infections/ asthma, she's only become more aware as her own child went with out proper diagnosis till a family gathering where the older generation told her about it.

I hate to tell you this but at the age of eight I also had whooping cough despite being jabbed and it lasted 14 weeks! Mine was also given various initial diagnoses before the doctor decided that it could only be. I never actually got the whoop but coughed till tears ran down my face. Sorry!

My mother got whooping cough twice and there were no vaccines when she was a child.

She got it again in her 60s (she has COPD) and it took them ages to find out what it as because it's not something you normally see in someone that age.

the doc really should be taking a swab to check what it is.

the info needs to be fed back into the system.

whooping cough can be nasty, sorry your ds has it. it does usually take a while to clear.

It's also known as the '100 day cough' so that will give you an idea of how long it will last! Glad that he is well in himself otherwise. You could try giving manuka honey to soothe his throat if it is sore from the coughing. Unfortunately vaccines do not always work or only offer temporary protection. There have been huge outbreaks among adults in the US recently.

My mother never had a vaccine, though. Her pulmonologist, however, thinks her COPD may have had something to do with her catching it again.

They thought she had TB, cancer, all sorts. Never dreamed it was whooping cough because she'd had it as a child.

Thanks all - 14 weeks/ 100 days REALLY isn't what I was wanting to hear but least I'm prepared! Seeing the doc again tomorrow and think test will be done then - the anti biotics were also given to clear up any infection should it have been one. He also doesn't have the "whoop" just a barking rough cough which can make him sick if it's really bad.

Hmm...doc's again today, more antibiotics, now steroids (incase asthma) and a chest x ray at the hospital. Blood tests if x ray negative. Least doc taking it seriously, but really didn't expect all this!

I know that there are some who will violently disagree with me but my childhood experience was what made me vaccinate my DS for whooping cough. I do believe that it would have been worse if you had not done so. Yes, Riven, I am well aware of your thoughts on the matter!

My teenage Ds had it last year, yes for about 3 months, despite being vaccinated.
It gradually got better and he has not been left with any noticable after effects.

my dd had whooping cough when she was 7years and lasted about 3 months. Took 3 trips to gp even though cough is so distinctive. No lasting effects just miserable at the time

Thank you for all the responses. Less than 24 hours after taking the steroids the cough is much better - really happy though I guess this might mean asthma is to blame after all rather than WC?

I'm a great believer in vaccinations and appreciate the cough (if it is wc) would have been much worse (and he would have had the full "whoop") I'm sure there are many heated threads here about vaccinations which I've never read and actually glad I didn't have access to when they were relevant to me. My oldest ds is 12 and the MMR debate was massive when he was due his. I went twice for the injection and I bottled it twice in tears and in shreds that I was about to subject him to autism thanks to media hysteria. I only went I after I visited a pregnant friend when ds had a rash that I'd put down to the heat. I found out a couple of days later that rubella was doing the rounds in the village (I wasn't alone in refusing the MMR) and I felt sick to the core that I may have endangered my friends baby. Appointment for MMR was made that afternoon and there were no problems. History has shown my and many other mum's torment had no foundation -don't know how Mr Wakefield (now struck off?) can live with himself. Happy that the WC jag works - either ds doesn't have it and we live in a society where it is so rare it causes difficulty in diagnosing or he does have a lessened dose but his inoculated classmates and other friends haven't caught this highly contagious disease.

penguin, the whooping cough vaccine is actually known to be a bit unreliable (effectiveness drops to about 50%. The 'mild case if vaccinated' argument is used a lot but there is no way of knowing if you would have had a mild case with or without the vaccine. In any case, WC is mainly only a risk for young babies so your son would probably be fine anyway. I'm glad he's on the mend anyway

Sorry posted early - effectiveness drops to about 50% after 5 years. Pubmed link here

I was going to use the mild case if vaccinated take on it, but I see it's not valid. On a case report of one, my son had whooping cough 3 years after vaccination. He didn't have the hundred day cough. Was better after 2 weeks. Cross fingers for you.

Thanks Bubbleymummy, followed your link -did you notice the date? Its's 23 years old and those vaccines aren't used anymore. The modern ones record a much better effectiveness and are able to provide the herd immunity we need to protect those who can't be immunised. Looked at a few US articles about outbreak and they are saying a lot of people are skipping the vaccines now (a lasting effect from MMR false science?) and I note that along with trying to get more children immunised they are also calling for adults to be done too. Never heard of anything like that here. Ooh I've opened a big can of worms for myself

Sorry penguin. Here are a couple of links that are more recent! :)
here
and here

It was the year 2000 and I remember it vividly, from end of May to end August. My daughter was 6 and had been vaccinated. Gp assumed it was asthma despite inhalers and antihistamines to try and dry up the secretions being of no help. I never have my kds at the doctors but took her 5 times. Eventaully she coughed up some brown looking gunge when actually in the surgery, i knew it was biscuit but they gave her erythromycin and I was desparate so I said nothing. It was only really afterwards when it had indeed lasted about 100 days and we and my colleagues (health care ones) and one whose son had experienced the same many years before and my family all looked back on it all that we realised and agreed that is what it had been and nothing would now convince me any different. Absolutely awful at the time kleenex loved us kept them in business, teachers hated us because we didnt realise at the time and she went to school coughing but she is 16 now and doesnt seem to have any problems from it.

at biscuit story!

Doctor changed antibiotic after seeing x rays - very deep infection that couldn't be heard with stethoscope. Completely freaked out the 1st night as it seemed DS was going to cough his lungs up but that was the med getting to work and bringing up the infection. Much much better now and hoping to be cough free v soon

Thought I'd update and see if there was any advise out there.

DS STILL has barking hacking cough. X ray showed something deep in lungs and he's now had 2 weeks of erythromycin and 2 weeks of amox clav to very little effect (though as previously posted first night of second ab triggered massive coughing fits) He's also had 3 days of oral steroids - didn't make a note of the name, 6 small tablets to be give at once. Nothing there to cough up.

Doc made an urgent referral last Thursday to hospital which I assumed meant he'd be seen with in days. Called yesterday to find out they'd only just opened email and consultant on holiday next week so would think about booking him after he comes back and will send out a letter then - that must mean at least 3 weeks from docs actual referral. Is this right? Normal? He's well in himself otherwise I'd have kicked up more of a fuss before now but must admit am getting increasingly frustrated and worried. Have another Dr's appointment tomorrow what should I be asking? Anybody thinking asthma? anything else?

I have extremely healthy DC and could count the number of times b4 this that both children have been to Dr's on 1 hand. I've never had to deal with anything like this and feeling little lost.