Two children, ages 6 and 9, were diagnosed with pertussis (whooping cough). The children, who are siblings, both attended a sports camp located at a large church. The older child also attended a drama camp at another church.
Neither child was vaccinated.
I sincerely hope that no infant is affected by these children's disease.
"Whooping cough is a concern because it can be passed to infants, who are at highest risk of complications and too young to be fully vaccinated with pertussis vaccine," Sidelinger said.
Sidelinger is Dr. Dean Sidelinger, San Diego County's deputy public health officer.
There is a current outbreak in Washington State, centered around areas where parents avoid vaccinating their children.
There is an outbreak in Tarrant County, Texas.
The majority of the cases reported in Tarrant County have come from children under the age of one who aren’t fully immune to the disease, said Dr. Anita Kurian, the Tarrant County Health Department's chief epidemiologist.
Health department officials said one problem they're experiencing is parents are sending their infected children back into public situations before they're completely cured.
Officials said patients require at least five days of antibiotics before they're no longer infectious.
In May 2008, there was an outbreak in El Sobrante, California, centering around a Waldorf school (Waldorf schools discourage parents from immunizing). The school was closed for several days.
There is a persistent outbreak in Ohio.
Pertussis is almost completely preventable by vaccination. However, immunity seems to wear off, so parents and older children should also be vaccinated or have a booster shot. . PKids has a campaign for universal vaccination/booster, called "Silence the Sounds of Pertussis".
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