Why the Whooping Cough Vaccine Is Important

Whooping cough is a cough that develops as a result of an infection from a bacteria. It can last a few weeks to even up to 4 to 6 months. Whooping cough is a very contagious bacteria, hence, the reason why we really focus on immunization.

The intent of getting vaccinated is really twofold. One is to, one, prevent yourself from getting the whooping cough. And then two is if you actually do get the whooping cough, to prevent the long-term effect.

The reason why it's so important to get the vaccination for whooping cough is, one, not just to protect yourself, but to protect others who may be very susceptible to whooping cough, and that's particularly children and infants.

Adults who are working with kids who are, particularly, in school settings and the health care settings, it's very important that we get immunized against whooping cough.

With patients who have underlying illnesses like asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis -- any vaccination where you're preventing yourself from developing any type of cold-like illness, this is very important in that group of patients.

It's going to prevent them from getting sick. It's going to prevent them from getting hospitalized, and it's just going to improve their overall quality of life.