The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning parents that whooping cough cases have increased recently.
They have posted this notice on the website, www.cdc.gov:
"Currently, several states are reporting an increase in whooping cough cases, including a state-wide epidemic in California. Take action by making sure you and your loved ones are up to date with vaccinations. This includes DTaP vaccine for infants and children and Tdap booster for adolescents and adults."
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a contagious bacterial disease.
Despite high vaccine coverage for children nationwide, there is a high rate of infection in the U.S. Protection from the childhood vaccine fades over time, according to www.whoopingcough.net.
"We're seeing more whooping cough than we used to," Dr. Kenneth Alexander, head of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Chicago, recently told the Chicago Tribune. That's partly because we live in a global world, Alexander said, but improved diagnostic tests allow health care providers to recognize it more.
Also, pertussis vaccines are very effective but not 100 percent effective, according to the CDC. When you or your child develops a cold that includes a prolonged or severe cough, it may be pertussis. The best way to know is to contact your doctor.
The disease starts like the common cold, with runny nose or congestion, sneezing, and maybe mild cough or fever. But after 1-2 weeks, severe coughing begins. Infants and children with the disease cough violently and rapidly, over and over, and inhale with a loud "whooping" sound.
Pertussis is most severe for babies; more than half of infants less than 1 year of age who get the disease must be hospitalized. About 1 in 5 infants with pertussis get pneumonia.
For more information, go to http://www.whoopingcough.net/ or the CDC at www.cdc.gov/features/pertussis.
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(c) 2011, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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