Dr. Mary Maddux-González, Sonoma County health officer, today urged local residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families against pertussis – also knows as whooping cough – a serious vaccine preventable disease. Incidents of the disease have risen to epidemic levels in California and Sonoma County.
The disease causes prolonged coughing attacks that can be fatal to infants. As of June 15, 2010, there have been 910 reported cases of pertussis this year, including five deaths, all in infants under three months of age. This is a four-fold increase from the same time period in 2009.
Sonoma County Public Health has confirmed 48 cases and another seven are considered probable, compared to just four confirmed and two probable cases at this time last year. Several infants have been hospitalized.
“Parents, family members and caregivers of infants are urged to get vaccinated for pertussis as soon as possible. Very young infants, too young to be vaccinated, are especially vulnerable to the disease,” warns Maddux-González. “Children should receive their first in a series of five doses of pertussis vaccine at the age of six to eight weeks of age, but they are not adequately protected until around six months of age. In nearly 50 percent of cases among infants, parents are the source of the disease. Therefore, it is critical at this time for parents, caregivers and those living with infants to get the pertussis vaccine.”
