DH and I got ours in October when our good friends were
expecting their new granddaughter....We knew we would be around the baby often.
We went to the health department to get it. It was free
and no trouble to get.

I had whooping cough when I was a kid. We got the shots, but it was too late, we'd already been exposed. I should ask my dr. if I need a booster.
I don't see how people can let their kids not get these immunizations. I wouldn't wish whooping cough on anyone. It was a nightmare for us.
My youngest sister was 2 when we all got it. She weighed 20 pounds at one, and 18 pounds at two. The two oldest girls (of which I was one) would cough so hard, we'd cough up blood.
I also remember polio. I hate to see any of this make a comeback.

I did get the whooping cough booster shot.

Got mine last fall. Recommended by my doctor.

Joan, that must have been terrible!

We're current on ours. A good friend also happens to be our lead public health nurse and she's adamant on staying on top of vaccines, and keeps track of our dates for us. 'Come for dinner on Tuesday and I'll update your tetanus, it's time' :)

I'm in the NW where that outbreak is. I knew we were current on tetanus vaccine, but I didn't know until calling my friend that the pertussis was included in the tetanus shot :) she assured me our boosters up to date - we have a niece with a baby due any minute now. If they weren't up to date, I would get them, who wants to be even remotely, potentially responsible for making a baby/child sick.

Got my whooping cough shot last year when I got immunizations for travel in Central and South America. Like mentioned above, it was part of my Tetanus shot, which I also needed for my travels.

Jodi-

The kids are up to date. I need boosters on all of my shots.

I talked with my friend across the street who is an internist, and she said to definitely get the booster, as the shot you got years ago does not offer lifetime immunity. In addition, just be aware that even getting the new booster is not total protection. She got pertussis recently (that then proceeded to pneumonia), even though she had the booster 3 years ago. She said that the booster is about 70% effective. She told me that whooping cough (pertussis) in adults is often just like having a bad cold, so you might not know that is what you have...but it can be deadly for small children whose lungs are not developed enough to easily deal with it.

I got it to protect my grand kids, especially since I worked in an elem. school.

I should have looked this up, but I am wondering how babies, who begin getting their pertussis vaccines when they are 4 weeks old, can become infected from carriers if they themselves are protected. I am not suggesting that we not get our boosters, only wondering why we need them to protect babies. That is how revaccination/boosters are being promoted here.

I got mine over a year ago when I started watching my friends' new baby. Medicare did not cover it and I had to pay for it.

the irony? ds1 got it AFTER having his first dpt shot...the doc never called it whooping cough but whooping cough syndrome??? 6 weeks of humidifer and up for hours with baby then dd1 a toddler of 2..she was never affected, thank goodness...this was in 1974...

I had it a few years ago - DPT. Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus.

We've had outbreaks of pertussis here in Texas, too. Measles, also, and some deaths from both. Vaccine-phobic parents contribute to this trend.

It is included in the tetanus immunization in our area.
I am up to date.
I had whooping cough when I was an infant.......way back in the 1941.

My daughter was allergic to the first shot when she was something like 2 months old and they told me she couldn't have the shot anymore. She was wondering if as an adult she may have outgrown it. I think that maybe she should talk to her doctor. She is a teacher and could be very easily exposed to it. Also, she is an ashthmatic. I think I'll tell her to talk to her doctor. I'd hate for her to get this.

I also had whooping cough in late 1961 or early 1962 - I was a baby born at home and did not get the 1st vaccine and almost died. very healthy now

The new vaccine has only been out for less than 10 years, since 2005. It is only now they are recommending it for older adults. The funny thing is pertussis is cyclical in nature. It was up in 2010 but started to decline by mid 2011 in my county. Even at it's peak there were only 99 reported cases and only 7 hospitalizations. Now suddenly they are claiming everyone needs to be vaccinated. Methinks there might just be a surplus of vaccine. Reminds me of flu shots. First there is a shortage of vaccine and recommendations go up as the supply is increased. Follow the money.

Now if the numbers really showed a risk to my grandkids I would be first in line. But being on the borderline of the recommended age just a year or so ago I am not rushing out to get vaccinated. Older people have gotten ill from the vaccine. But they are hushing it up.

sherrmann--I think it is for the benefit of newborns and babies that are not yet fully protected. Isn't there a series of the shots for infants?

Yes, there's a series of shots for infants, and those babies who haven't received the full series are considered vulnerable to infection.

Wildchild, I don't know where you got your information about the "hushing up" of old people getting ill from the vaccine, but two years ago the Sacramento Bee reported this:

Vaccine manufacturers are studying older populations, which already get the booster in some European countries. Those studies have made it clear the booster shot is safe in older people.

Data from those studies, plus two clinical trials in the U.S. involving more than 1,100 subjects, apparently influenced the Food & Drug Administration to change its recommendation, approving the booster shot for those over 65.

PNW residents especially - (medically documented cases of pertussis, NOT documented cases of excess serum to be used :)

April 3, 2012
Whooping cough cases reach epidemic levels in much of Washington
All teens and adults need a whooping cough booster

OLYMPIA Today Secretary of Health Mary Selecky announced that whooping cough disease has reached epidemic levels in Washington. So far in 2012, 640 cases have been reported in 23 counties as of March 31. This compares to 94 cases during this same time period last year, putting Washington on-pace to have the highest number of reported cases in decades.

"We're very concerned about the continued rapid increase in reported cases," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. "This disease can be very serious for young babies, who often get whooping cough from adults and other family members. We want all teens and adults who haven't had Tdap to be vaccinated to help protect babies that are too young for the vaccine."