National Do Anything Except Watch the View Day: Tdap Edition

Over the summer, ABC Network made the cynical decision to hire anti-vax mouthpiece Jenny McCarthy to replace Joy Behar on its long-running daytime talk show, The View. While momentarily surprised that venerable journalist Barbara Walters would take a seat next to someone as scientifically illiterate as McCarthy, who plays fast and loose with facts, I quickly remembered that the business of television is not the business of ethical journalism. In the former, controversy and outrage are believed to result in an uptick in the Nielsen ratings. The decisionmakers at ABC--and I have reason to believe Barbara Walters was not one of them--clearly believe that the universal condemnation that followed the announcement that McCarthy had been tapped will lead to curiosity-seekers tuning in to see if McCarthy embarrasses herself again on the topic of vaccines.

But this tactic is a risky one. It's failed before, and I wager that it will fail again. We saw this happen just last month with Kris Kardashian's cringeworthy talk show, Kris. It was recently canceled after a six-week run, despite the network bosses betting on the big reveal of Kim Kardashian's baby and an appearance by Kanye West to draw viewers. It didn't happen. The difference between hiring Kris Kardashian and ABC putting Jenny McCarthy at the table on The View is considerable. Kris's show will be, and perhaps has already been, forgotten. ABC, on the other hand, has seen its reputation damaged--badly. At a time when the network is clamoring for more viewers, its gamble on McCarthy has lead so far only to widespread criticism, not just from parents (12,000 of whom signed a petition protesting the hire--which resulted in absolutely zero response from ABC), but also from media critics. No one praised this as a brilliant move to draw viewers.

This leads me to Voices for Vaccines' fantastic National Do Anything Except Watch the View Day on September 9th, the first day McCarthy will appear. (Disclosure: I am one of the VFV administrators, but I did not come up with this wonderful idea--Karen Ernst did). The idea behind it is to send a message to ABC--but, more important, the real world beyond the halls of the network--that we are not interested in McCarthy, her views on vaccines (or on Botox, which she's injected into her face, or on Syria, for that matter), and that we know desperation when we see it. To make this thing stick, Voices for Vaccines is encouraging people across the country to snap a picture of what they are doing INSTEAD of watching The View tomorrow. Working? At a playdate? Grabbing coffee? Watching paint dry? Getting a vaccine? Once you've snapped that photo, Tweet it to @voices4vaccines with the hashtag #notwatchingtheview. Consider adding @abcnetwork to your Tweet. If you like Facebook better, post your photo to the Voices for Vaccines' Facebook page. Need more information? Check out Voices for Vaccines' press release on National Do Anything Except Watch the View Day.

As for me, and my family, we have big plans for September 9th that do not include watching The View. School. Work. And the Tdap vaccine booster for my husband, because he wants to protect our newborn niece and our asthmatic daughter, for whom pertussis would be devastating.

Everlee's Story

Editor's Note: A couple of months ago, we heard about a five-week-old infant in an ICU here in the Twin Cities who had been diagnosed with pertussis , and was battling for her life.  A few weeks ago, the mother of that strong-willed little girl, who fought the pertussis tooth-and-nail and won, got in touch with the Minnesota Department of Health asking for ways she could share her story of a life forever changed by a vaccine-preventable disease. Emily Stevenson's story is below.

UPDATE: CBS affiliate WCCO led the news tonight (2/9/2012) with Emily and Everlee's story. Click the link to watch it.

Everlee, five weeks old, in the ICU

I am the mother of a beautiful four month old baby girl.  When our daughter was 5 weeks old she began having a mild cough.  Within a few days her coughing spells became much more frequent and intense, she developed a fever, and started having apnea episodes where she would stop breathing for several moments.  It became clear that we were dealing with something very serious.  

We brought her to the doctor where our fears were confirmed: she was diagnosed with pertussis (whooping cough).  We were surprised at how this could happen, as everyone in our family had received the Tdap (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus) vaccine (Editor's note: Tdap is the pertussis booster for teens and adults; Dtap is the pertussis vaccine course for infants and children).  There was a confirmed case of pertussis in our older daughter's classroom, and although a fluke, we learned that it was possible for the bacteria that causes pertussis to have traveled home on her clothes.  Our baby daughter was at the time too young to receive the DPT vaccine and was vulnerable to being exposed to pertussis.  

She was hospitalized right away, and as her coughing spells became more intense and worrisome she was moved into the intensive care unit.  There was very little that the doctors could do for her as she weathered through the peak phase of the illness.  Pertussis causes intense coughing spells along with other respiratory complications, and is particularly dangerous for infants because of their immature respiratory system.  Our baby had trouble clearing away the thick mucus in her airway and was continuously deprived of oxygen.  The illness also placed considerable stress on her small heart due to the pressure that had built in her chest. Unfortunately, these consequences are typical for an infant with pertussis.  

The weeks that we spent in the hospital were very difficult.  Our baby fought hard against a respiratory illness that her body was not ready to handle.  Each day we watched her struggle for breath, unable to eat or sleep, and have to linger in pain.  We are thankful for her strong will and for the good medical care that she received.  After three weeks in the ICU her symptoms began to wane indicating that she was past the peak phase of the illness.  We were able to bring her home to recover.  Her cough will last for several more weeks, but we are grateful for every day that she shows improvement. 

Everlee caught pertussis from an unvaccinated child

The reality is that pertussis can be largely prevented by the Dtap vaccine.  There are several children in our older daughter's grade level whose parents have chosen to opt out of having them receive the Dtap and other vaccines.  After this experience, we view their choice as part of a frightening trend.  In reality, what our baby went through could have been prevented.  

Parents who choose not to have their children vaccinated fail to realize that they are actually putting infants, and others who are vulnerable, at a high risk.  We have learned that because of this trend the incidence rate of pertussis in Minnesota has grown considerably over the past few years.  We are hopeful that for the safety of individual families and the community that more parents will heed the advice of medical professionals and make the choice to have their children vaccinated.