Pertussis Cases Have Quintupled in America

The number of pertussis cases across America has increased five-fold over last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. I had posted in September that the cases in Pennsylvania in particular had increased tenfold over the previous period. Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough,” is a deadly virus that had nearly been eradicated in America by widespread vaccination, but, like measles and other preventable diseases, has increased around the world, including in Europe and America because of increased vaccine hesitancy. Vaccines are safe and effective, having prevented countless cases, hospitalizations and deaths from various contagious diseases with little serious side effects, according to numerous scientific studies, but unscientific disbelief about their safety and opposition to vaccine mandates has spread among the far left, the far right and libertarians, amplified by Russian disinformation. Because not everyone’s immune system responds to vaccines, it is vital that enough other people are vaccinated to protect the few who cannot be, a concept known as “herd immunity.” Therefore, it is a Christian and conservative belief that vaccination is a moral duty of every citizen who can be vaccinated to protect everyone else, especially those who cannot be vaccinated.