Cases of whooping cough, a.k.a. pertussis, have jumped in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City.
A total of 109 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, were reported over the past year in the three neighborhoods, with an increase in cases over the past four months, the Health Department said.
Five infants were hospitalized and one came down with pneumonia.
Most years, there are 200 cases of whooping cough reported in the entire city.
Surprise, surprise—according to “an alert to medical providers,” the cases were mostly toddlers and younger, and many of them either hadn’t been vaccinated or hadn’t gotten all the necessary shots. In September, Capital New York reported that the health department had sent a letter to Orthodox schools and parents, outlining the symptoms and urging them to make sure their kids were covered.
This has been your regular reminder to get your kids vaccinated, and to keep up with your own boosters before so much as breathing near an infant. The illnesses that seemed to be vanquished by vaccination aren’t gone forever if we don’t keep using the goddamn vaccines.
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