In June 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a whooping cough booster shot for adolescents and adults ages 11 to 64. Children have been receiving whooping cough vaccines since the 1940s, yet whooping cough, or pertussis, has been on the rise for the past 20 years, with cases rising from 11,647 in 2003 to 18,957 in 2004.

While very dangerous to young children, this bacterial infection is far less severe and dangerous in older children and adults with healthy immune system function and it is readily treated with antibiotics. Additionally, like all vaccines, the pertussis vaccine has long been the subject of controversy due to possible complications, such as potential autoimmune dysfunction and neurological damage.

So is a whooping cough booster for adults a good idea? Or is it a case of overly eager inoculators? Well, it seems to depend on whom you ask.

Let's first take a look at whooping cough. Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial illness that affects the respiratory system, provoking coughing fits that culminate in a unique, high-pitched "whoop." In the years that preceded what is now nearly universal vaccination of American infants with DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), or more recently, DTaP (the acellular version of the vaccine that is associated with fewer side effects), this occasionally serious and potentially fatal illness was common in babies and young children.

The proponents of vaccination point to missing days of school or work and the FDA warns that adolescents and adults who become ill with whooping cough can pass it on to young babies who are not yet fully immunized. They also claim pertussis may be more common than the reported numbers suggest: Proponents of immunization say that the infection often goes undiagnosed (for example, it can be mistaken for bronchitis), and in reality, there may be as many as one to two million cases a year in adolescents and adults.

The hope of many public health advocates is that with widespread vaccination, whooping cough will go the way of polio and measles and be virtually eliminated in the US. But can this actually be achieved?

Those who are anti-vaccination ask: Is vaccination safe? Is it worth the health risks?

According to Barbara Loe Fisher, cofounder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) and coauthor of DPT: A Shot in the Dark (Avery), the same concerns apply to the adult pertussis booster as apply to infant vaccination: rare but possible side effects such as autoimmune and neurological disorders.

With an effectiveness rate for the DTaP version of the vaccine ranging from 55% to 90%, there are many known risks and possible rewards to consider before rolling up your sleeve. In Ms. Fisher's opinion, if you have a personal or family history of vaccine reactions, convulsions or autoimmune disease, you should definitely think twice before getting a pertussis booster.

I have vaccinated many people, numbering in the hundreds. Today I am against vaccination generally, but can see some occasions when I consider it necessary and advisable. Such occasions are rare.

I can tell you that it is quite unusual to find a family or hospital doctor who really understands the science and the issues of vaccination. Mostly they simply parrot what they have been led to believe; they give the party line.

Ultimately you must decide for yourself and possibly also for your children. I strongly recommend that you do some research yourself and learn more about the pros and cons before reaching a conclusion. These days it is very important to become more informed about health matters because it is no longer appropriate to assume you can trust doctors to get everything right.