Dr. Jonathan L. Temte: Don’t underestimate whooping cough’s threat

Thanks to the Wisconsin State Journal for Monday?s excellent article on pertussis. The resurgence of whooping cough may be due to a change in our childhood pertussis vaccine 15 years ago. In 1997, the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended a safer vaccine for prevention of pertussis. This emphasis on safety came at the expense of a shorter period of protection following vaccination.