Cases of whooping cough more than double in California

By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times
May 27, 2010


California health authorities say that cases of whooping cough reported to the state have more than doubled so far this year — 346 cases from Jan. 1 to April 30, up from 129 cases during the same period last year.

Four newborns have died from the disease — two in Los Angeles County and two in the Central Valley. Amid concern that this may be the worst year for whooping cough since a 2005 outbreak killed eight infants in California, health officials are recommending a new strategy to protect babies too young for vaccination.

The strategy is called "cocooning" — vaccinating mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings and anyone else who will be in contact with newborns. It's a relatively new concept because a vaccine for whooping cough, also known as pertussis, first became available for adults and adolescents in 2005.

"If you can't vaccinate the baby, you vaccinate everyone who comes into contact with them," said John Talarico, chief of the immunization branch at the California Department of Public Health.

more

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/scimedemail/la-me-0527-whooping-cough-20100527,0,4139013.story

can get a milder form of the illness and brush it off as a mild cold or flu. They can infect anyone around them for quite a long time, even if they don't feel ill themselves. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heic/id/pertussis/

It's great that boosters are now available for adolescents and adults. I had the disease as an adult and I didn't get the mild form. I was sick as a dog for six months.

I can easily see how it kills infants. Cocooning is a great strategy.

The vaccine is not 100 percent effective.

Regardless, it seems we acknowledge that adults who are exposed to newborns need a booster. I'm glad to see common sense strategy in this regard.

There is no reason why Tdap screening and delivery couldn't occur with annual flu shots. More could be done to increase awareness of adult vaccine schedules. At a minimum Doctors and clinics should be providing this information.

I recently looked up the vaccine schedule and took the initiative to update my vaccines. I was not encouraged to do this at any of my recent visits to doctors and clinics. Even when I asked directly I was not provided with all of the information.

We tend to panic if one child isn't fully vaccinated, yet we have most adults running around sans boosters. :hi: