Reply #3: these toxin forming bacteria

[Tumbulu]

pertussis, tetanus and diptheria are put together for a reason. Although one would like to prevent the infection I think the aim is to prevent the damage from the toxins these bacteria produce once established in the host.

I suppose the immune system can be trained to keep viral infections out a bit better with vaccination, but the bacterial infections perhaps go different routes. The big goal is to prevent deaths by having the body detoxify toxins produced by any of these bacteria that may indeed infect and colonize.

This is a big deal to have the body be able to protect itself from such toxins and I am grateful for it.

I have watched a sheep die of tetanus.

My daughter who was vaccinated for pertussis may have had a mild case of it a few years ago. Only antibiotics for 5 days was required. It was going around, she had an ear infection also and the doctor thought it made sense to trat it as though it were- her cough was horrible. During that same period a friend's unvaccinated child caught it, was hospitalized for a week (no health insurance either) and now has asthma. His mom felt terrible and now tells everyone how important it is to get that vaccination. It is this little meme that the DapT does not prevent infection that somehow convinces people that the vaccine does not work. It works all right, 5 days of an antibiotic vs lifelong asthma?