Hit and run, eh?

It is very clearly acknowledged by all health professionals in Aus that whooping cough immunization does not last for life. Nor does natural immunity. Therefor, in order to be 'safe' from the disease, you must get a booster shot every 10 years or so. About the same as tetanus really.

What percentage of adults in Australia would you estimate keep up with their booster shots, Ali? I don't know a single adult who has received an immunization other than the flu shot in the last 10 years.

Misdiagnosis is significant in 8 of the California deaths according to the Mercury News.

There's a lot of info out there about it, so anyone with a newborn baby usually gets the whole family a shot or is at least encouraged to. I don't know what the percentage is, but I know it was mentioned to me numerous times during the course of my pregnancy with Max although I already knew about the need for booster shots, so it wasn't really an issue for us.

Most GP's will encourage the mother and father and other siblings (if they're old enough to warrant the need) to have a booster at the same time the baby gets their immunisation at 2 months. I know mine did and most other mothers I know of had the same offer.