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July 19, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Infant Whooping Cough Fatalities Rising"
Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com) (07/19/02) P. A1
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that infant deaths due to whooping cough are rising in the United States, despite record high vaccination coverage. The CDC researchers suggested that the increase may be a sign that the bacteria that causes the disease is becoming more common in the United States. Whooping cough, or pertussis, took the lives of 17 people and infected 7,867 people in 2000, compared with 14 deaths and 7,297 people infected in 1999.
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