Explore health content from A to Z. I need information about...
TUESDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- A change in vaccine
composition may partly explain current whooping cough outbreaks
in the United States and Australia, researchers say. In the
1990s, a switch was made from diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell
pertussis (DTwP) vaccine to diphtheria-tetanus-acellular
pertussis (DTaP) vaccine to reduce side effects. It's possible
that the newer vaccine is less effective and wears off faster,
Australian researchers suggest. "Our findings don't change the
fact that vaccinations remain the best way to prevent whooping
cough," said lead researcher Stephen Lambert, an associate
professor at the Queensland Children's Medical Research
Institute of the University of Queensland in Brisbane. "Children
who develop pertussis [whooping cough] despite being vaccinated
have milder symptoms, reduced duration of illness and are less
infectious to others than children who have not received their
vaccines," he added. Moreover, doctors s