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June 28, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Whooping Cough Cases Rise"

Fresno Bee (www.fresnobee.com) (06/27/02) P. B1; Aleman-Padilla, Lisa

Fifty-five cases of whooping cough, a respiratory infection that is often lethal to infants, were diagnosed in the last 12 months at Children's Hospital Central California and nine cases per month have appeared since January, a rise of about seven cases per month.  Most of the cases of whooping cough, also called pertussis, occurred in children under the age of six months, but two adolescents were also diagnosed.  In order to stop the spread of whooping cough to young children, who are most at risk of developing complications due to the disease, adults with coughs lasting longer than seven days should be properly diagnosed and all children under 7 years of age should be properly vaccinated against the disease.  Widespread use of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, resulted in the number of cases of whooping cough dropping by an average of 4,400 per year in the United States.

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