Whooping cough cases top 6,000 in California

More than 6,000 Californians have been infected with whooping cough, according to updated totals released by the Department of Public Health.

As of late Tuesday there were 6,257 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, in California, an increase of 279 cases from the previous week. The epidemic is the largest to strike California since 1950, when 6,613 cases were reported.

Put another way, there are 16 cases of pertussis for every 100,000 people in California, the highest incidence since 1959, when there was a rate of 16.1 cases per 100,000 people.

Of the 10 who have died from pertussis so far this year, all were infants younger than three months, and nine of them were Latino. Health officials have previously said that Latino babies are overrepresented in part because they are more likely to live in larger households, with more opportunities to be exposed to someone with whooping cough.

Newborn babies are at highest risk of dying from whooping cough, and are usually infected by a coughing family member. Health officials say the only way to protect newborns is to give pertussis vaccinations to everyone who will have contact with the baby, creating a cocoon around those too young to be immunized. Anyone who is coughing should avoid contact with newborns.

-- Rong-Gong Lin II

Related:

Some elderly patients can’t get whooping cough vaccine

Whooping cough Q&A

Whooping cough immunization information

Comments

[Ed medina]

Opportunitie ? How about Latino Infants are dying probably for lack of medical care,nobady wants to die! I would not call it an opportunity.

[kuruc]

were the illegals checked by a doctor before they snuck-in?

[Hmph]

This is what happens when an influx of poor people are allowed to come here from third world countries with nary an eyebrow raise from our federal government. We don't know who's coming here, or what afflictions they have (that they can't afford to treat properly in their home country).

Who doesn't know not to cough around a newborn?!? I suspect that the recent problem of bed bugs nationwide is related to all the illegal immigrants too. Not racist, just fact. The statistics in the article speak for themselves, don't they? And the fact that this infection hasn't been an issue in over 60 years??

[EPIDEMIC in LA]

The most recent state budget signed by Arnold calls for an $18M SLASHING in state immunization funding. Simply stated, tens of thousands of adults and teens (ones that are coughing) won't have access to shots that will protect your children and mine. We're only asking for a more catastrophic public health emergency next year or the year after. It may not be pertussis, but a more virulent avian flu or one of the most infectious diseases in the world -- measles. We'd be lucky if we only had to confront whooping cough next year.

And Whitman wants to cut 50,000 state jobs, hundreds which are dedicated to providing basic access and services for ESSENTIAL public health services?

[EPIDEMIC in LA]

The latest budget signed by Arnold approved an $18M CUT in immunization funding. This means families will have even less access to one of the most basic and cost-effective public health interventions around. Maybe these pertussis numbers are shocking, maybe they're not.

What is certain is that these numbers will be far worse as the government and the public let their guard down. It may not be whooping cough next year, but maybe a more virulent flu or even worse, another outbreak of measles in a CA school (San Diego, 2008, 839 persons exposed).

And Whitman wants to cut thousands of state jobs, hundreds of which whose role it is to provide the most basic immunizations for families? I understand CA wants and needs sweeping job creation, but how do you expect to do that when our government can't even provide the most basic of public health interventions?

[Ray]

Guess who is bringing this into the country.

[Hmph]

I agree with "Ray". The Times won't post my earlier comment.

If you have an influx of poor people coming from third world countries, who have no access to healthcare, guess what will happen?

Home somebody's keeping a tally on the devastating effects of illegal immigration. By the time Democrats wake up, it will be way, way too late.

[Hmph]

*Hope* somebody's keeping a tally