| ■ California Whooping Cough Outbreak May Be Worst in 50 Years | 2010.07.23 |
| Children, pregnant women and elderly people in California should get vaccinated against whooping cough in order to protect them against what may be the worst epidemic of the contagious disease in the state in 50 years, warn health officials. So far this year, nearly 1,500 whooping cough (pertussis) cases have been reported in California, nearly five times the number of cases last year, said state epidemiologist Dr. Gil Chavez, the Los Angeles Times reported. Five infants, all under three months old, have died of whooping cough so far this year and a sixth infant death was still being investigated Monday. Chavez said that babies younger than six months are at greatest risk because even those who've been vaccinated against whooping cough have yet to develop immunity, the Times reported. Three-quarters of infants who get whooping cough are infected by someone in their home, said Dr. Dean Blumberg, an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis. |