Returning to training after illness

[drubie]

Would you believe that I know two other people who've just had whooping cough?

It's a serious and increasing epidemic that I blame 100% on the anti-vaccination nutjobs.

It's a third world disease FFS that was all but eliminated in Australia 20 years ago. Now, thanks to the brain dead peanuts who use the internet to reinforce their prejudicial idiocy by never reading information they don't like, we've managed to bring it back as a serious health risk for infants.

(it's not a lot of fun as an adult either, but not fatal like it can be for children, in whom in can trigger heart attacks due to the vicious nature of the cough involved)
/rant over

[twizzle]

What gets me is that people who were vaccinated are catching this. The comment from the doctor for one of them was that it was unusual for people who have been vaccinated to catch this - but in both cases other family members got it as well. Not good.

[drubie]

What gets me is that people who were vaccinated are catching this. The comment from the doctor for one of them was that it was unusual for people who have been vaccinated to catch this - but in both cases other family members got it as well. Not good.

No it's not good - it has to do with herd immunity and the not-quite-100% effectiveness of the vaccine. Once the herd immunity drops below a critical level, suddenly those who had marginally effective vaccinations are at high risk.

I'd have been immunized as a child against whooping cough (40 years ago), but the local health services are now encouraging anybody who was vaccinated as a child but works with children now needs a booster. Teachers, health workers etc. We were lucky that our youngest daughter caught it but only got a mild case, thanks to immunization. The rest of my family have now had boosters.

I fear there's much worse to come: the herd immunity against polio for example is now dropping thanks to anti vaccination campaigns.