Whooping cough cases continue to rise in L.A. County

The number of whooping cough cases reported in Los Angeles County has continued to increase in recent weeks, county public health officials said Friday.

There were 429 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, reported in October, more than any month this year and more than a quarter of the total of 1,600 cases reported this year, according to the county Department of Public Health.

"This is an epidemic that is reaching numbers we’ve never seen before in Los Angeles County," said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, the county’s director of public health.

"This disease can be prevented with a vaccine, and I urge everyone who is eligible to take advantage of this protection for themselves and their loved ones. If you have not already done so, make it a priority this weekend to get vaccinated," Fielding said.

Of the 1,600 whooping cases reported this year, many have turned out to be false positives -- only 480 have been classified as "probable" or "confirmed" so far. But even without those false positives, this year’s numbers are still significantly higher than in past years.

Last year, there were 156 "probable" or "confirmed" cases of whooping cough countywide. In 2008, there were only 80 such cases.

The death toll also has been higher this year: four Los Angeles County infants died of whooping cough, while in past years the county has seen only a single death or none.

Pertussis is often spread by coughing. Typical symptoms in young children include intense coughing accompanied by a whooping sound, and post-cough vomiting. Some infected infants do not show typical symptoms, but can still suffer life-threatening complications such as pneumonia and seizures.

Whooping cough is "especially dangerous for infants under 6 months of age who are not old enough to have received the number of vaccine doses needed to be fully protected," Fielding said.

"Now is an especially important time to get vaccinated," he said. "Vaccinations do not give you instant immunity, and take time to develop full protection. By taking action now, you can ensure that you are protected for the holiday gatherings."

Children should receive three primary vaccinations containing the pertussis vaccine and two boosters by age 4 to 6, followed by a booster vaccine during their preteen years, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.

The California Department of Public Health recently expanded its vaccination recommendations amid rising numbers of pertussis cases statewide, and now recommends the booster vaccine for anyone age 7 to 9 who did not complete the pertussis vaccination series and all others age 11 and older, especially women of childbearing age and seniors.

"Infants are most likely to be infected by parents, grandparents, older siblings, daycare workers and other caregivers who have whooping cough but often don’t know that this disease is the reason for their symptoms," Fielding said.

"People suffering from a cough illness who have contact with infants should seek medical care immediately. Anyone who lives with or has frequent contact with an infant should ensure that their vaccinations are up to date."

Those without a healthcare provider or insurance can contact 211 or the county health department for referrals to providers and sites offering free or discounted whooping cough vaccines.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Comments

[Darren Hopper]

More scare tactics. Don't you think if all the cases are people who have NOT been vaccinated it would be front line news...

[Thomas F Gibson MPH]

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It derives its name from the whooping sound made after the cough and the next attempt at gaining a new breath. First identified circa 1900, Pertussis was the leading cause of infant death, until a suitable vaccine was developed around 1925.The administration of the new vaccine, which requires booster shots as the child grows, all but eliminated Pertussis as a childhood disease.

In the early eighties, the United States witnessed an increased incidence of autism, a neurological disorder that affects children around their second year of life, and it was widely attributed to the contemporary vaccination regimen, particularly due to the mercury based preservative Thiomersal. However, the organic mercury compound was removed from all infant vaccination s in the year 2000, yet the incidence of autism continues to rise.

The vaccination protocol is to administer the shot with Diphtheria, another serious bacterial respiratory disease, Tetanus anti-toxin and the Pertussis agent, known as the DTaP vaccine. It is critical to note that most of the Pertussis is transmitted by the parents of the child, so adult immunization is critical to the children’s benefit as well as maintaining good population health (CDC, Pertussis,2010).

We as healthcare providers must inform our patients concerning the risks associated with the failure to immunize their children. The popular theory of herd immunity, where those without immunization are protected from contracting the disease by those that are immunized, only works if the herd group is sufficiently large enough to protect the smaller population. As we are seeing in California and Oregon, the herd concept is failing, as evidenced by the rise in Pertussis cases. Additionally, all children and adults must receive additional booster shots throughout their lifetimes(CDC, Tetanus,2010).

It is unfortunate that so much misinformation is circulating concerning vaccinations and the alleged link to autism. One of the problems is that we live in a reactionary and somewhat of a knee jerk society. The media popularized a connection from the mercury based vaccine and autism back in the ninety’s, yet the hysteria continues to swirl around the life saving inject-able protocol.

Vaccines are safe, necessary and required for most children to enter school at six years of age. There are two exceptions, based on either religious convictions or on moral grounds. Both of which must be documented and given to the school’s administration prior to admittance. It could also be construed as a form of state sanctioned child abuse, as it is based on pseudo-science and popular rhetoric.

Protect your children, your relatives and the community. Get immunized and make certain that your children receive the proper vaccinations regimen prior to entering school. Morality suggests it; Population Health demands it.

Reference

CDC. PERTUSSIS,(2010).
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
RETRIEVED FROM:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/pertussis/

CDC. TETANUS, (2010).
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
RETRIEVED FROM:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/Tetanus/

[observer]

Biological warfare and selective population control is continuing on our planet earth. It just seems a bit more than usual. Any place that has natural devastation would be the perfect place to release this kind of biological agents.
It looks natural that the disease goes with the problem at hand.
Haiti with the unusually large problem of cholera,
california with whooping cough, and other areas of the world having unusually large populations with different diseases that have either been eradicted to extinction or have not been around for years. The United States Government admitted to releasing the whooping cough virus from a water vessel in the ocean to those on land to a selective population in florida in the 1950's. I would not trust any vaccine produced by them.
How many times do we read articles that say the vaccines are problematic after they give them to us.
The moral compass is worse than ever. What a shame on humanity.