by A mother has revealed her heartbreak after losing her baby to a violent cough just weeks after he was born.
Kathryn Alcaide, of Chicopee, Mass., said her son Brady was born healthy and weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces in November 2012, but began suffering from whooping cough symptoms that “felt like a cold” in January following.
Ms. Alcaide and her husband, Jon, took Brady to the emergency room when his fever reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and it got progressively worse over the next two weeks. The boy’s lungs deteriorated, then his heart stopped.
He was diagnosed with whooping cough, a bacterial infection dating back to the Victorian era, and died at two months old.
While Brady died a decade ago, his parents are speaking out again as whooping cough makes a deadly resurgence in the United States.
Cases of the highly contagious disease, also known as whooping cough, have more than quadrupled since the same time last year, when around 3,500 cases were reported. So far in 2024, the CDC has confirmed more than 19,600 cases.
Ms Alcaide told Newsweek: “The rise in cases reminds us how vital it is for people to stay up to date on their vaccinations, not only for their own health, but to protect those who are too young or medically incapacitated. to get vaccinated.
“No family should have to suffer the loss of a child because of something that could have been prevented.”
Brady died from complications related to whooping cough in January 2013, when he was just under two months old. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Alcaide
The Alcaide family encourages all parents to vaccinate their children against preventable diseases like whooping cough. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Alcaide
Whooping cough is especially dangerous for infants and young children, but babies Brady’s age are not eligible for the vaccine.
The CDC recommends that children receive three doses of the Tdap vaccine. The vaccine protects against diphtheria, whooping cough – and tetanus. One dose is given at two months of age, one at four months and one at six months.
Two additional doses are given to children aged 15 to 18 months and four to six years.
However, vaccination rates for young children fell during the pandemic and never fully recovered. By age two, about 82% of babies born in 2018 and 2019 have received the four vaccine doses recommended for their age.
This rate fell to 79 percent among babies born in 2020 and 2021.
To reach the herd immunity threshold, an estimated 92 to 94 percent of people need to be vaccinated.
Parents have their own reasons for refraining from required school vaccinations, including religious reasons, and they can request an exemption from the school district in this case.
Routine vaccination rates fell during the Covid pandemic, when school moved to remote platforms and children spent little time with others. Since then, vaccination rates have struggled to recover.
Some parents worry about the safety of vaccines, sometimes citing debunked claims that certain vaccines have been associated with autism in children, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Whooping cough is not very common, which means many parents consider it a minor threat and therefore not worth vaccinating.
Ms Alcaide said: “It is heartbreaking and frustrating to hear that cases of whooping cough are increasing, particularly as it is a vaccine-preventable disease. »
Brady began suffering from a debilitating cough in early January 2013. It was so severe that he had trouble breathing.
About a week after Brady’s pediatrician diagnosed the infant with a bad cold and sent the family home to recover, Brady was admitted to the hospital where his condition improved only briefly.
Brady had periods where he was able to breathe without an oxygen tube and doctors attempted to feed him without using a tube. But after eight days, Ms. Alcaide said at the time, Brady was “still doing the same thing.”
Brady is held by his father Jon shortly after his birth. Brady fell ill in January 2013 and was hospitalized. About a week after arriving at the hospital, his heart stopped and doctors were unable to save him.
A day before her death in January 2013, Ms. Alcaide said: “We are now at Boston Children’s Hospital, Brady is in critical condition, his heart stopped and they had to do compressions on him.
“We are waiting to see him. They put him on heart and lung bypass surgery. They worry about brain damage; please pray that he will one day be a healthy boy playing baseball. I will try to update as much as possible.
She added after his death: “People don’t think much about illnesses like whooping cough these days. I know that before experiencing this nightmare, I would never have imagined that this could happen and that even the best medical care could not help me.
Whooping cough is most dangerous for infants younger than two months, who are too young to be vaccinated.
Between 15 and 20 percent of babies develop pneumonia, two to four percent suffer seizures, and one in 100 die.
Since their son’s death, Kathy and Jon have become advocates for childhood vaccinations, knowing that Brady likely became ill because someone in close contact with him was not vaccinated and unknowingly carried the virus. .
One of the main benefits of widespread vaccination coverage is herd immunity – a phenomenon that occurs when a large number of people have been vaccinated against a virus.
This limits the spread, so that vulnerable people who are too young or cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons remain protected.
The Alcaides urge people to vaccinate their children against whooping cough and other preventable diseases like measles: “Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect our loved ones and our communities. It’s a choice that makes a real difference.
She added: “We’ve always said that if sharing Brady’s story could save even one life, it would bring meaning and positivity to our loss.”
