MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Whooping cough can be deadly especially to infants and children.
And Vermont lawmakers are promoting a bill to require every man woman and child in the state to get the preventive vaccine. But many people object to the mandate.
It's known as the hundred day cough. State Representative Tim Jerman's son was one of the 645 people with whooping cough last year in Vermont.
"He was really struggling just to breathe," Rep. Jerman said.
The number of cases in the state has spiked. In 2010, 18 cases... 2011, nearly a hundred... that's why a bill requiring the vaccination is being debated. The only doctor in the legislature says he wants to protect the public from the highly contagious and potentially deadly illness.
"Children under one who get whooping cough have been quoted as having up to a 50 percent mortality rate," State Representative George Till said.
Right now, the whooping cough vaccine is already a requirement, but people with religious or philosophical views can be exempt. This bill would eliminate the exemption and require every child in public school, and public school educators to get the shot.
The Governor and the Health Commissioner are opposed to this bill. Commissioner Harry Chen told me his department can make solid progress without engaging in a legislative battle that's likely to lose.
The Vermont Coalition for Vaccine Choice is also against the bill. Activist Jennifer Stella told me she and many other parents worry about the risks, and want to make medical decisions for their children, not the government.
A similar bill was on the table last year, but it included all of the vaccinations required when a child first starts school. This one is specifically whooping cough.
The vaccination is 85% effective.
