The New Whooping Cough Epidemic

A News & Events entry posted on August 9, 2010

The August 8, 2010 issue of Parade Magazine included an article on the significant increase in pertusis cases in California. According to Parade, California is headed for what some public-health officials say may be the worst outbreak of whooping cough in half a century. Dr. Mark Horton, director of the state’s Department of Public Health, has called it an epidemic. More than 1300 cases had been identified as of mid-July, a five-fold increase over the same period last year, and 700 more potential cases are under investigation. The outbreak has even caused the deaths of five infants, all under 3 months. While outbreaks around the rest of the country are not as severe, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported significant increases in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, and Arizona. South Carolina and Oregon have also had a higher-than-usual number of cases... A few other troubling facts emerged-76% of those polled didn’t know that whooping cough remains widespread in the U.S. (The CDC estimates that 600,000 cases of pertussis occur each year among American adults, many of them so mild that they are not identified as such.) And 61% were ’not aware that a vaccine against the disease exists.’ Additionally, 72% reported that they were unsure about or didn’t know that the vaccine’s effects wear off over time.

To read the entire report visit The Parade Magazine Website>.