Credit CDC
# 8791
California’s Whooping cough (Pertussis) outbreak – which officials declared as an epidemic two weeks ago - continues to grow at a rate comparable to what we saw in 2010 – when the last major epidemic broke out.
Over the past two weeks, 1100 new cases have been identified, including one fatality.
Almost eliminated in this country by the mid-1970s, Whooping cough has made a worrisome comeback over the past decade, with roughly 50,000 cases reported in 2012. The reasons behind these increases are complex, and not entirely understood, but some factors are believed to be:
- lower vaccination uptakes in children and adults
- the move away from whole cell pertussis vaccines to safer (but somewhat less protective) acellular vaccines in the 1990s
- evolutionary changes in the Bordetella pertussis bacteria.
Whooping cough outbreaks are cyclical, and we see localized outbreaks increase every three to five years. The last `big’ year for Whooping cough in California was 2010, but 2014 is shaping up to be another bad year. This from the California Department of Public Health.
California Whooping Cough Epidemic Continues
Date: 6/27/2014
Number: 14-060
Contact: Anita Gore, (916) 440-7259
SACRAMENTO
1,100 new cases have been reported in the last two weeks
The number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in the state continues to climb, Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer reported today.
In the past two weeks, 1,100 new cases of pertussis have been reported to CDPH. This brings the total number of cases to 4,558 (as of June 24). This far surpasses the total number of reported cases in 2013, which was 2,532. One additional infant has died, bringing the total number of infant deaths to three. Children four-months-old or younger account for nearly 2/3 of all pertussis hospitalizations.
“Infants are at the greatest risk of illness and death from pertussis,” said Dr. Chapman. “Vaccination is the best form of protection. We’re encouraging all parents to vaccinate their children, and for pregnant women to be vaccinated to protect their babies. This will ensure maximum protection against this potentially fatal disease.”
The Tdap vaccination for pregnant women is the best way to protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated. All pregnant women should be vaccinated with Tdap in the third trimester of each pregnancy, regardless of previous Tdap vaccination. Inoculated women pass immunity to their unborn babies that protect them until they can be vaccinated. Infants should be vaccinated as soon as possible. The first dose of pertussis vaccine can be given as early as 6 weeks of age.
Older children, pre-adolescents and adults should also be vaccinated against pertussis according to current recommendations.
“It’s particularly important that people who will be around newborns also be vaccinated,” added Dr. Chapman. “This includes babysitters, older siblings, parents and grandparents. When those people are vaccinated they will help protect infants who are too young for immunization.”
The symptoms of pertussis vary by age. For children, pertussis typically starts with a cough and runny nose that can last up to two weeks. The cough then worsens and turns into rapid coughing spells that end with a tell-tale “whooping” sound. Young infants may not have typical pertussis symptoms and may have no apparent cough. Parents describe episodes in which the infant’s face turns red or purple. For adults, pertussis may simply be a cough that lasts for several weeks.
CDPH is working closely with local health departments, schools, media outlets and other partners to inform the general public about the importance of vaccination against pertussis.
