Whooping Cough

[Boggo]

The guy who share an office with my wife has been coughing his lungs up for about the last three weeks without seeing a doctor. My wife then started coughing and went to the doc, turns out she has whooping cough and now so do I.
In SA whooping cough is considered to be an infectious disease and you actually need medical clearance to return to work.

Sitting around home is not my idea of fun, so far pavers pulled up and re-laid, old drippers pulled out and new dripper hoses in their place, numerous plants pulled out and new ones planted.
Now what am I going to do tomorrow

 

[jonojpsg]

Hey boggo, that is no good mate A point to note is that an increasing number of parents are choosing not to immunise their children, against whooping cough as well as other diseases...children have died of it recently in northern NSW where imm rates have dropped below critical threshold levels of 85%

This raises another question, that is, what are the rights/responsibilities of living in our society? We have the right to choose to, or not to, immunise our children, however if enough of us choose not to, then we're up @$%# creek dealing with epidemics

Sorry to hijack your sob story boggo

Oh, and why don't you trade the AUD tomorrow - should see some reasonable moves either way and probably both in the aftermath of the stable CPI

 

[malachii]

I've never understood this. If people immunise their kids - why are they worried about other kids who aren't immunised. Surely if the immunisation works then they aren't going to catch it from the non immunised.

malachii

 

[Boggo]

Sorry to hijack your sob story boggo

Oh, and why don't you trade the AUD tomorrow - should see some reasonable moves either way and probably both in the aftermath of the stable CPI

Probably does sound like a sob story eh.
Stupid thing is that guy who spread it around wouldn't go to the doctor, now both of his kids have got it and he has t get a medical clearance to come back to work in no less than six days.
He probably thought he was doing the right thing... maybe.

On the AUD front, watching and waiting for it to find a level.

 

[grace]

I've never understood this. If people immunise their kids - why are they worried about other kids who aren't immunised. Surely if the immunisation works then they aren't going to catch it from the non immunised.

malachii

malachii, it takes some time to build up resistance. When babies are born, they are given their immunisation every 2 months. The resistance builds up over a period of time. A newborn for instance will have next to no immunity to whooping cough. So there lies the danger. The immunisations are one thing, but over time, the immunity can weaken in any case. Imagine the elderly suffering from some of these diseases. A mild case would be very serious for them.

 

[motorway]

On the North Coast of NSW

Doctors are now suggesting the elderly consider vaccination

The high levels of non vaccination in the young apparently are putting
people of all ages at risk ( even if people were vaccinated as youngsters themselves )

Someone in their 80s or 90s who still are active , and still getting out and about are especially at risk.

Whooping Cough in a senior is a serious illness

Motorway

 

[Julia]

I've never understood this. If people immunise their kids - why are they worried about other kids who aren't immunised. Surely if the immunisation works then they aren't going to catch it from the non immunised.

malachii

This has already been addressed.

Boggo, it's not at all a sob story. It's a serious and very unpleasant disease when severe.

I was immunised as a child, but caught it (no idea how) about ten years ago and became really ill. Just couldn't stop coughing, and coughed to the point of vomiting. Couldn't keep food down, even water set off more coughing.
Eventually antibiotics sorted it out, but it would have to have been one of the most horrible couple of weeks of my life.

It's a real worry that some parents are choosing not to have their children immunised. Some absolutely stupid nonsense about the dangers of immunisation is being peddled by ignorant people.

Boggo, presumably you're being treated with antibiotics? Do be sure to stay away from public places until you're better which I hope will be soon.

Don't underestimate how serious this can be. Little children can die with it.

 

[Boggo]

Boggo, presumably you're being treated with antibiotics? Do be sure to stay away from public places until you're better which I hope will be soon.

Don't underestimate how serious this can be. Little children can die with it.

Definitely serious Julia, each case has to be notified to the health authorities, even more serious for my wife due to her immune system being almost non existent due to chemo and radiation treatment six years ago.

The doctor placed me on antibiotics when I first visited as she had treated my wife a week before and correctly suspected that there was a good chance that I would have contracted it.

The annoying bit of this for me is that I was due to go to St Andrews hospital last Monday for an operation to clear up ongoing sinus problems (a combination of polyps and a nose that has been broken twice in my younger wayward years).
That obviously had to be cancelled and is now scheduled for 5th Nov but it is still subject to written approval from my doctor.

I had planned two weeks off work due to the surgery to be followed by three weeks of annual leave (including a week in Noosa) but that plan is out the window at the moment.

 

[sails]

malachii, it takes some time to build up resistance. When babies are born, they are given their immunisation every 2 months. The resistance builds up over a period of time. A newborn for instance will have next to no immunity to whooping cough. So there lies the danger. The immunisations are one thing, but over time, the immunity can weaken in any case. Imagine the elderly suffering from some of these diseases. A mild case would be very serious for them.

Yes, it is the babies that have no resistance who are most in danger from other unimmunised people.

My son got it when he was six months old and came down with it a few days after his vaccination. It seems that he must have been infected not long before being vaccinated. It was a terrible thing to witness in such a tiny body. He would go blue in the face and constantly throw up. He was one of the lucky ones that survived.

Even though I had been vaccinated as a child, I came down with it not long after he did. I don't feel I had it as badly as he did, but it did go on for a good few weeks. If everyone had been immunised, there is a much better chance that neither my son nor myself would have had this horrible disease.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for you and your wife, Boggo..

 

[Whiskers]

On the North Coast of NSW

Doctors are now suggesting the elderly consider vaccination

The high levels of non vaccination in the young apparently are putting
people of all ages at risk ( even if people were vaccinated as youngsters themselves )Someone in their 80s or 90s who still are active , and still getting out and about are especially at risk.

Whooping Cough in a senior is a serious illness

Motorway

I was vacinnated as a kid too, but that's a concern. I certainly don't wish to catch that.

In 2009 my GP persuaded me to have the Flu shot... and after not having a significant cold or flu for probably at least 15 years... I had a reaction and felt absolutely lousy for a few days culminating with nausia and vomiting... a not so suttle reminder of how bad an upset stomach and respiratory system feels.

Enjoy the 'time off' Boggo to rest up to get rid of it quickly.

 

[Boggo]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for you and your wife, Boggo..

Enjoy the 'time off' Boggo to rest up to get rid of it quickly.

Thanks folks, have got two books on the go at the moment so just going to take it easy.

 

[jonojpsg]

Indeed - am sorry if I sounded unconcerned boggo I wasn't intending to downplay the seriousness of you having whooping cough - was probably too busy selfishly focussing on my slant to the story

Hope you are better soon and your wife too!

 

[jonojpsg]

PS and anyone reading who has or is having kids still, GET THEM IMMUNISED!...sorry, getting sidetracked again

 

[matty77]

No offence but the guy you work with is a selfish pr!ck, seriously! I have a 6 month old and if she got it I would be devestated. Maybe you should explain to that person that he could of infected a child and that child could have DIED, in SA we had a death from Whooping Cough only a few months ago.

Its a bug bear of mine, why do people come to work sick? THATS WHAT YOU HAVE SICK DAYS FOR! Dont come and infect the whole damn office. If your sick stay home.

And yes we are getting my kid immunised, but as other people have already said it takes up to 6 month to build any sort of resistance to it... thank god summer is here.

 

[Boggo]

No offence but the guy you work with is a selfish pr!ck, seriously! I have a 6 month old and if she got it I would be devestated.

I agree and its interesting you should say that because I believe both of his kids have now got it !!!!!!!!!

 

[matty77]

Well I hope his kids are ok. If anyone here has seen a newborn that cant stop coughing it would break your heart..

 

[gooner]

I've never understood this. If people immunise their kids - why are they worried about other kids who aren't immunised. Surely if the immunisation works then they aren't going to catch it from the non immunised.

malachii

The large number of people who are not immunised means that when a case occurs it rapidly spreads through a community putting babies at risk of death. If everyone was immunised there would be no outbreaks and no deaths.

I was immunised last year when my daughter was born even though I had some immunity from having whooping cough as a kid as this helped to protect my daughter. But some parents at my other kids preschool are selfish and do not immunise so we never took our newborn to preschool until she was fully immunised.

 

[malachii]

We are getting a little off track but I just wanted to make a comment - please dont shoot me down immediately.

The large number of people who are not immunised means that when a case occurs it rapidly spreads through a community putting babies at risk of death. If everyone was immunised there would be no outbreaks and no deaths.

It is only a small percentage of the population that is not immunised and the government make it difficult to not have a child immunised by tieing parenting payments etc to your immunisation. The percentage is well up into the 90s nowadays (see http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/patients/acir/statistics.jsp)

I was immunised last year when my daughter was born even though I had some immunity from having whooping cough as a kid as this helped to protect my daughter. But some parents at my other kids preschool are selfish and do not immunise so we never took our newborn to preschool until she was fully immunised.

I have 5 children 1 of which is NOT immunised. Is this selfish - probably - but the medical risk (due to a condition she has which I wont discuss on a public forum) to her life is greater if she is immunised that if she is not. This also places further restrictions on her. Until recently we were advised to not allow her to swim in public pools because of the risk that immunised kids placed on her!

The problem from a parent's perspective that has to consider not immunising a child (weather because of specialist medical opinion or just from trying to do proper research) is that both sides are incredibly biased and use emotional blackmail to get across their point. Try a google search on immunisation and read some of the studies from both sides and you'll understand what I mean. We all want the best for our children, we are all trying to do our best but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is not as clear cut as we like to believe.

malachii