Actress and New Mom Keri Russell Joins PKIDs to launch "Silence the Sounds of Pertussis" Campaign Keri Russell Shares Personal Experience about Protecting Kids from a Deadly but Vaccine-Preventable Disease Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases (PKIDs) today announced the launch of its national educational campaign "Silence the Sounds of Pertussis" with actress and new mom Keri Russell. The campaign sounds the alarm about the dangers of pertussis and alerts parents to the need for everyone coming into close contact with young babies, especially family members, to be vaccinated against pertussis to prevent transmission of the disease. On the rise, pertussis is a highly contagious and potentially deadly bacterial infection that is particularly dangerous for babies. Commonly known as whooping cough, pertussis is marked by the "whoop" sound made when gasping for breath after a severe coughing attack. Coughing can last for weeks and can be so severe that it is hard for babies to eat, drink or breathe. In recent years, more than half of babies infected with pertussis were hospitalized, and 90% of pertussis-associated deaths have been among babies less than six month old.
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