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May 1, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"More Whooping Cough Cases Reported"

Associated Press (www.ap.org) (04/30/02)

A total of 1,046 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Arkansas since September, with 98 of those cases occurring in the past month.  The outbreak is centered in Lonoke, Pike, Pulaski, and Saline counties in the state, but the disease is present in about 46 of the state's 75 counties, according to data.  The outbreak is primarily affecting adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 years; however, health officials note that in Lonoke, Pulaski, and Saline counties, the patients are generally between the ages of four and six years.  This is the largest outbreak in Arkansas since the vaccine was launched in the 1940s.

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