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 Whooping cough epidemic in California & more states 
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Post Whooping cough epidemic in California & more states
(06-23) 13:10 PDT Los Angeles, CA (AP) --

Whooping cough is now an epidemic in California, and is on pace to break a 50-year record for infections for the year.

As of June 15, California had 910 recorded cases of the highly contagious disease, and five babies — all under 3 months of age — have died from the disease this year. :candle

"Children should be vaccinated against the disease and parents, family members and caregivers of infants need a booster shot," California Department of Public Health director Dr. Mark Horton said Wednesday.

This year's surge in cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a fourfold increase from the same period last year, when 219 cases were recorded.

At least 600 additional cases are under investigation by local health departments. Officials fear that with the number of known and suspected cases at 1,510, the state is on track to beat 1958's record 3,847 cases; midway through that year, 1,200 cases had been reported.

Nationally, 23 weeks into 2010, there were 4,656 cases of whooping cough, compared with 6,017 cases in the same period in 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The declaration of epidemic is made after a significant increase in the number of illnesses to a broad swath of the state's population, said state health department spokesman Ken August.

Health officials say whooping cough is cyclical and tends to peak every two to five years. A typical case starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks or months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever is rare.

Unimmunized or incompletely immunized babies are particularly vulnerable. Three vaccines are administered for whooping cough, from 2 to 6 months of age. Neither vaccine nor surviving the illness provides lifetime immunity.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/06/23/state/n111147D00.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0riAzkwJo

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Wed Jun 23, 2010 1:50 pm
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Post Re: Whooping cough epidemic in California
Growing outbreaks of whooping cough raise health fears
At least five states report rise; are vaccine gaps to blame?

Growing outbreaks of whooping cough — including a California epidemic that has killed six babies — are worrying public health officials who fear that sporadic vaccination practices may be contributing to dangerous cases of the preventable disease.

"I'm saddened, but I can't truly say I'm surprised," said Dr. Saad B. Omer, an assistant professor with Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and an national expert on immunization practices. "We know and we have known for a while that we have these gaps in protection at the local level."

Rising cases of the disease also known as pertussis have been reported in Idaho, Texas, South Carolina, Michigan and in California, where 1,500 children have been diagnosed in what's being called the worst outbreak in 50 years.

In some places, including Michigan and California, there are communities where parents have refused recommended vaccinations, often because they fear complications from the shots.

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38447752/ns/health-infectious_diseases/

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Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:45 pm
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Post Re: Whooping cough epidemic in California & more states
Doesn't IT ALWAYS!! :censor :censor

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Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:26 pm
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Post Re: Whooping cough epidemic in California & more states
10 infants dead in California whooping cough outbreak

(CNN) -- Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has claimed the 10th victim in California, in what health officials are calling the worst outbreak in 60 years. :candle

Since the beginning of the year, 5,978 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of the disease have been reported in California.

All of the deaths occurred in infants under the age of 3 months, says Michael Sicilia, a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health. Nine were younger than 8 weeks old, which means they were too young to have been vaccinated against this highly contagious bacterial disease.

"This is a preventable disease," says Sicilia, because there is a vaccine for whooping cough to protect those coming in contact with infants, and thereby protect the infants.

Read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/10/20/california.whooping.cough/index.html?hpt=T2

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Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:37 am
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