<
https://theconversation.com/low-vaccination-and-immunity-rates-mean-nz-faces-a-harsh-whooping-cough-winter-what-needs-to-happen-202499>
"Following the deaths of two infants, doctors and scientists worry New
Zealand’s whooping cough epidemic could be the worst in years.
Known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, whooping cough is a bacterial
respiratory infection caused by
Bordetella pertussis. It is extremely
infectious and endemic in New Zealand.
Usually, pertussis epidemics occur in three-to-five-year cycles. Community
(herd) immunity is thought to account for such cycles, with the end of an
epidemic indicating herd immunity has been reached.
Then, over the subsequent three to five years, the pool of susceptible
individuals grows until a threshold of susceptibility triggers another
epidemic.
But the COVID pandemic, years of declining immunisation coverage and some nasty
microbes have conspired to create a perfect storm of infectious diseases –
including whooping cough, measles, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and
influenza – for the coming winter.
Infants and young children, particularly Māori, will face the brunt."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
