Studying the Efficacy and Perception of Whooping Cough Vaccines

Abstract

In this paper, I will provide a brief history of Whooping Cough and its associated pathogens, B. pertussis and B. parapertusis . I will then address some modern concerns, due to recent outbreaks and new research bringing into question the efficacy and effectiveness of existing vaccines. Finally, I will suggest additional concerns and in some cases, provide a few suggestions for research proposals which can address these concerns. This work is partially an integration of less formal discussions on the topic that I have written on my personal blogs, including one that constitutes a very early draft of this paper . 1Whooping cough is a disease, which is primarily caused by the gram-negative B. pertussis. however a milder form of symptoms can be caused by the closely related B. parapertussis . The 2 strains of these pathogens seem to be fairly host specific . B. pertussis was first isolated in 1906 . A number of explanations have been proposed, for the recent uptick in incidence rates. In the media, one of the suggested causes being discussed is under-vaccination . However a line of 8