Whooping cough is one of the diseases that had been virtually eliminated thanks to the development of effective vaccines. But with the rise in vaccine skepticism, whooping cough is on the rise. If RFK Jr. is confirmed as the nation’s Secretary of Health and human Services, we can expect the return of many once-vanquished diseases.
Sabrina Mali of The Washington Post reported a dramatic increase in cases of whooping cough:
Whooping cough continues to surge in the United States, with reported cases soaring to more than 32,000 this year — nearly five times the 6,500 cases recorded during the same period last year — marking the highest levels in a decade.
Health experts cite as main culprits for the increase waning vaccination rates and a loss of broad immunity tracing to coronavirus lockdown protocols.
The disease, caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, is highly transmissible from person to person through the air. Because of their immature immune systems, infants younger than 1 year old are at highest risk of contracting whooping cough — also known as pertussis — and are at most significant risk of severe illness.
Vaccination rates with the DTaP shot — which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — declined from March through September 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. But because people were following pandemic protocols such as masking and social distancing, cases did not soar. Some children who missed getting their shots during that period may never have received them, experts have said…
Health experts worry that the incoming administration could impede efforts to increase vaccination rates among vulnerable populations.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom President-elect Donald Trump selected to lead HHS, will have significant influence over vaccine production and safety. Kennedy has been a longtime anti-vaccine activist, and many health experts express concerns that he could contribute to waning vaccination rates.
Although he has said he is not anti-vaccine, Kennedy has criticized the recommended list of childhood vaccines and promoted debunked claims about autism and vaccines.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I hope Republicans are happy.
I hope they contract every preventable-by-vaccination disease.
This country has gone mad.
LikeLike
So sad to see so many of us reject science, believe conspiracies and put other vulnerable people needlessly at great risk. Trump is expected to make large cuts to Medicaid and other social safety nets. More communicable diseases will spread.
BTW ACO Reach is spreading like the plague; it’s free public money for corporations. There is a database that lists most of the providers. You are supposed to receive a written notice if your doctor participates, and you currently have the right to opt out by calling Medicare at 1-800-633-4227. I called this morning, and they responded quickly. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/aco-reach-py2024-participants.pdf
LikeLike
Retired: It’s the rankest kind of ignorance a policy maker can have–the vaccines have eradicated diseases for decades so that Mr. Stupid looks around and says, “hay, there’s no disease!” Then his logic goes: we must not need vaccines; or if it’s Trump or President Musk, he’s thinking, we don’t need to PAY for vaccines. CBK
LikeLike