What would happen if we stopped pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine?
Before pertussis vaccine was available, nearly all children developed whooping cough in the U.S., with up to 9,000 deaths each year. Since 1980 pertussis cases have been increasing, but the levels remain lower than the pre-vaccine days. In 1991 a newer pertussis vaccine became available. It has fewer side effects than the older version. If we stopped pertussis vaccinations in the U.S., we would experience a massive increase in the number of cases. A recent study in 8 countries found where vaccine coverage declines, the number of pertussis cases rose 10-100 times the rates of countries that have high vaccine coverage. From CDC, National Immunization Program, 2000.
