Sen. Invoice Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions, known as on Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to publicly help the whooping cough vaccine as Louisiana experiences one of many worst outbreaks in latest historical past.
In 2024, six occasions the variety of whooping cough — or pertussis — circumstances had been recorded than the prior yr. In response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), circumstances peaked in November 2024, however they’ve remained excessive since then.
Louisiana has seen elevated circumstances this yr, with two infants dying of whooping cough in April. In a letter to Kennedy, Cassidy famous the secretary had spoken about the advantages of MMR vaccines throughout the measles outbreak in West Texas earlier this yr. Kennedy has lengthy speculated on the doable detrimental negative effects of MMR vaccines.
“As you acknowledged, ‘measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness with certain health risks, especially to unvaccinated individuals.’ The same is true for pertussis. Among those hospitalized in Louisiana, 75 percent were either unvaccinated or not up to date on pertussis vaccinations,” the Louisiana Republican wrote.
The Hill has reached out to Division of Well being and Human Companies for remark.
Infections will be prevented with a DTaP vaccine, which will be administered in early childhood, or with a Tdap vaccine, which will be given to older kids and adults, together with anticipating moms who can confer some safety to newborns by receiving the shot throughout their being pregnant. Each vaccines present safety in opposition to tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
“I want to work together to stop pertussis. Your strong public support for this vaccine will save lives,” Cassidy added.
“Your words are a powerful tool in protecting the health of the American people. Families responded to your decisive leadership when you clearly promoted the MMR vaccine to stop the outbreak in West Texas,” he continued. “They would respond again to your call that the DTaP vaccine is the best way to protect our babies. We can ensure that no child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease.”
Cassidy’s request comes a few week after he and Kennedy acquired right into a heated alternate over the latter’s vaccine coverage adjustments. At a Senate listening to, Cassidy as soon as once more introduced up considerations about restricted entry to COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to doable conflicts of curiosity inside the lately remade vaccine panel on the CDC.
