Young and elderly residents alike have been hit by a recent whooping cough outbreak in the Shoalhaven, and those refusing to vaccinate their childen are to blame according to a Nowra GP.
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Doctor Richard Griffiths has treated a host of patients for the ‘100-day cough’ in recent weeks, and most of them hadn’t been immunised.
“We are seeing a lot more of it,” he said.
“You get one child with it, and it spreads.
“It seems to come in waves, and there is a bit of an outbreak in the Shoalhaven at the moment.”
Dr Griffiths said recent medical research has put to bed the “outdated” theory that vaccination heightens the risk of developing autism.
“We still see parents in the Shoalhaven who are proud of not immusing their kids,” he said.
“There are 130 medical papers disputing shaky evidence that linked immunisation to autism.”
The vaccine can wear off over time, and it doesn’t always prevent whooping cough, but Dr Griffiths has urged residents to vaccinate their young ones.
“We’ve had people in their 70s come in with a chronic cough and after a swap test realise it’s whooping cough,” he said.
“It’s far more dangerous in young babies.”
Patients are treated with antibiotics to stop the spread of the illness.
The vaccine is free for babies, and booster doses are free for infants, children and pregnant women.
Under the National Immunisation Program Schedule, doses of vaccine are given at two, four and six months of age, with booster doses at 18 months, four years and 10-15 years.
