California facing whooping cough epidemic

The state of California has declared a whooping cough epidemic after 910 reported cases have resulted in the deaths of five infants. The number of confirmed cases as of June 15 is already four times the number of cases reported by that time last year, putting the state on pace for a record number of whooping cough cases.

California has not experienced this many cases since 2005. Each year anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 cases of whooping cough are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far this year, California appears to be the only state with an unusually high number of cases reported.

Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement that “whooping cough is now an epidemic in California. Children should be vaccinated against the disease and parents, family members and caregivers of infants need a booster shot.”

Whooping cough is an infection of the respiratory system caused by bacteria. The disease acts very quickly in the system of infants in particular, and is very hard to detect among infants. Infants with whooping cough may present with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose and slight cough. Infants are often infected by their siblings and parents. Adults who received the inoculation as children often believe they are protected, however the inoculation can begin to wear off after the first five years.

So far three of the five infant deaths have occurred in Los Angeles County (2) and San Bernardino County (1). The state is investigating a possible 600 additional cases of whooping cough.