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INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Whooping Cough Outbreak Hits 23 Primary School Children" London Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk/guardian) (05/30/02) P. 7; Boseley, Sarah

In the United Kingdom, as many as 23 children at a primary school in Leicestershire have confirmed or suspected whooping cough, say health officials.  In an attempt to stem the spread of the infection, all the children and teachers at the school are receiving preventative antibiotics and they were given booster pertussis shots earlier this week.  The patients, all between the ages of five and 10, were vaccinated as infants.  The pertussis vaccine, as part of routine combined vaccinations, is given at two months, three months, and four months of age; however, the vaccine's protection fades and last year the government added pertussis to the preschool booster.  Students who had already entered primary school would not have received the booster, though.

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