Whooping cough bounces back: Replacement vaccine is not so great at protecting kids.

WHOOPING cough vaccines; WHOOPING cough; BORDETELLA pertussis; VACCINE effectiveness; DISEASE prevalence; BACTERIAL genetics; PUBLIC health

The article discusses the replacement vaccine for whooping cough, or pertussis, which is an illness caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. Topics include a historical overview of the prevalence of pertussis in the U.S. and efforts to eliminate it, the side-effects of the whole-cell pertussis vaccine, and its impact on public perception, and the acellular replacement vaccine. Genetic changes in B. pertussis and whooping cough's resurgence in the U.S. are also discussed.