How Common are Pertussis Reactions in America?
Some three and a half million American children receive pertussis vaccine every year and most react mildly. But an unknown number react more severely with high-pitched screaming, persistent crying for 3 or more hours, fever over 103F., excessive sleepiness, convulsions or collapse/shock that may lead to either death or permanent brain damage. The only large study ever conducted in the U.S. to determine DPT vaccine reaction rates found that 1 in 875 DPT shots is followed by a convulsion or shock/collapse episode. The rate of permanent damage or death following DPT reactions is a hotly debated subject. One study surveying 215,000 Swedish children whom had received DPT shots showed a rate of permanent brain damage or death in 1 in 17,000 children. Many vaccine authorities rely on the 1981 British study that reported that 1 in 110,000 DPT shots results in a serious neurological reaction and that permanent brain damage occurs in 1 in 310,000 shots. (These figures are often misquoted by U.S.
