Because some children have developed brain damage after the immunizations, some parents are concerned that the vaccine is responsible for neurologic impairment, however research does not indicate a definitive link between the pertussis vaccine and brain damage, although research is still ongoing (Whooping 2005). Yet, as a precaution, children with a history of seizures or brain disorders may not be proper candidates for the DTaP vaccine (Whooping 2005). 2001 study revealed that pertussis was the cause of chronic cough in 19.9% of the patients studied. Once a disease that ravaged children worldwide, whooping cough is once again on the rise (Green 2002). Today, approximately 300,000 children worldwide die every year from whooping cough, usually in areas where immunization rates are low (Green 2002). Nonetheless, even in the United States, where immunization rates are...

In 2002, the World Heath Organization concluded that pertussis had been neglected as a disease, that research on deaths from this disease should be carried out in high mortality countries, and that basic laboratory surveillance and control measures needed to be strengthened globally (Whooping 2002).
Works Cited

Green, Alan. (2002). Pertussis. Retrieved September 18, 2006 at http://www.drgreene.com/21_1155.html

Whooping Cough. (2005). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 18, 2006 at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whooping-cough/DS00445/DSECTION=3

Whooping Cough. (2006). MedlinePlus:…