Quote:
Originally Posted by Retired gal
As a child, I got measles, mumps, and chicken pox. I got a vaccine for pertussis (whooping cough) and polio, thank goodness.
About 10 years ago, I went to the doctor because I couldn’t shake this cough I had. Turns out my immunity to pertussis was either gone or very weak, as I had it! It now makes me wonder if my immunity to other diseases I had as a child are still strong.
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Two factors are at play:
1) In general, the more time that passes after a vaccine, the less effective it becomes.
2) The older we get, the less efficient our immune system becomes.
Pertussis vaccine is known to lose its effectiveness over time---this why the current recommendation is for grandparents that want to hold a newborn to get re-vaccinated with pertussis vaccine