Why is Pertussis (whooping cough) on the rise?

I had it just over a year ago.. Today I found out that there is an outbreak at Bob Jones University. Why is it that even though it is required for Americans to be vaccinated against pertussis, we are still getting sick?

I was vaccinated. I have the shot records to prove it. I realize that people are NOW choosing not to vaccinate, but these are people in their late teens, early twenties, and up. They would all have been vaccinated.

As you pointed out, many people that are in their teenage and college years are developing whooping cough. This is due to the fact that while the pertussis vaccination provides lifelong immunity for many people, it only provides a certain amount of protection for others. Some studies have found that a few as fifty percent of people are protected throughout their lives with the immunization.

Many people are opting to not vaccinate their children because they think there is a link to autism. It may also be a different strain of pertussis unlike the one we have been vaccinated for.

Because people have not vaccinated their kids dispite thel law..

The problem is that more and more parents not vaccinating there children because of religious reasons. Plus there are some parents who think the vaccination has a danger level to it. Some vaccinations have caused retardation and other things, so parents feel that the risk is to high to vaccinate. You are a good example of what not vaccinating can do. Polio is also on the rise, due to the same thing. Every child in this country should be immunized to keep these diseases under control. You must not have been immunized yourself if you had whooping cough. Why did your parents not get you vaccinated?