Pertussis Can Kill

I really, really wish I didnât have to post something like this. I wish it didnât exist at all. But it does, so I must. Warning: this video is very difficult to watch, and may be upsetting to people.

As a parentâas a human beingâwatching that video tears my heart out.

These outbreak of pertussis and measles are happening all over the world, and that includes the United States. Last week, a baby in Orange County, Florida, died of whooping cough. We nearly lost a baby in a recent outbreak in my home town of Boulder, Coloradoâan affluent, well-educated town, on average. These diseases are highly contagious, but they are also preventable.

That's why I canât say this enough. Talk to your board-certified doctor, and if they say so, get your TDaP booster, make sure your other shots are up-to-date, and get your family vaccinated. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell everyone.

Because itâs just this simple, and itâs not hyperbole: The fewer people who are vaccinated, the greater the chance a preventable disease will run rampant. And the vicitms are usually those who don't have any say in the matter.

My thanks to MistressMousey on Twitter.