Rise of Pertussis Cases in America, Especially in Pennsylvania

Federal and state officials have been reporting in increase in cases of pertussis “whooping cough” cases in America since the end of restrictions against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid19). The rise of the contagious, debilitating and even deadly disease, which affects children and older adults the most, is particularly acute in Pennsylvania, where the number of cases has increased more than tenfold (from around 200 to 2,000) over last year. Respiratory illnesses decreased during the physical distancing and mask-wearing of the Covid19 Pandemic, but have gradually returned to pre-pandemic levels, or even higher. The increase in vaccine hesitancy is a contributing factor for some contagious diseases, as I have posted about in regard to measles and other preventable diseases that had nearly been eradicated in America and Europe, but that now have been circulating in greater numbers. There is increased hesitancy to vaccinate because of unscientific ideological beliefs from the far left to the far right and among libertarians about the safety of vaccines, which have been proved to be far safer than the diseases they prevent or at least mitigate the severity of and are the most effective defense against those diseases. Vaccines have eradicated the deadly disease of smallpox and have nearly eradicated the debilitating disease of polio, for example. Disinformation about vaccines has been effectively spread by the Russian Federation to weaken the West in a form of biological warfare. Because not everyone can be vaccinated because of various immunity problems, those who cannot be vaccinated rely on “herd immunity” from the vast majority of those who do. When the proportion of a population that is vaccinated decreases below a certain threshold, the contagious disease starts to spread again. It is consistent with conservative principles to be responsible for not only our own health as individuals, but that of our families and communities.