Uptick In Whooping Cough Linked To Subpar Vaccines

sciencehabit writes "Whooping cough, or pertussis, has exploded in the United States in recent years. A new study (abstract) confirms what scientists have suspected for some time: The return of the disease is caused by the introduction of new, safer vaccines 2 decades ago. Although they have far fewer side effects, the new shots don't offer long-lived protection the way older vaccines do."

Comments

What about the impact of illegal immigration?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's pretty well known that illegal immigration to the United States from third-world countries, many found in Central and South America, has been a real problem that past couple of decades. People sneaking into the US in a clandestine manner enter the country without any sort of medical screening or quarantine. Most of them come from places where basic hygiene practices and infrastructure are insufficient, resulting in disease being quite common. It does not help that they will travel through such areas while making their way to the United States, as well.

So how much of this disease can be attributed to this illegal immigration?

Perhaps there are problems with modern vaccines, but it is absurd to ignore the vectors of such disease, as well.