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County urges vaccinations for children
June 2, 2011 (San Diego County) --Five new pertussis cases where others may have been exposed to the disease increased the local case total to 212 this year, the SAn Diego County Health and HUman Services said in Late May. The new confirmed cases occured in schools across the region, including Ramona, Poway, and San Diego schools. In 2010 , pertussis, also known as whooping cough, reached a record 1,144 cases for the county, including two infant deaths.
"The County continues to urge parents to make sure their children are fully vaccinated and better protected against the epidemic, " said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. "Parents of middle and high school students should also be aware of a new law that requires proof of a pertussis booster before they can enter 7th-12th grade classes for the next school year term.
”Residents can get vaccinated at their primary care doctor or at an HHSA Public Health Center if they don’t have a regular healthcare provider.The California Department of Public Health recommends a pertussis booster vaccine (Tdap) foreveryone 10 years or older who has not yet received it, especially women of childbearing age, before, during, or immediately after pregnancy; and other people, including household contacts, caregivers, and healthcare workers, who have contact with pregnant women or infants.
Children 7 to 9 years of age who did not receive all of their routine childhood shots are recommended to receive a Tdap booster dose.The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that children get one dose of DTaP vaccine at the following ages: 2 months; 4 months; 6 months; 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. Children should receive a Tdap booster shot at 11 or 12 years of age. Beginning July 1, all students in 7th through 12th grade, in public and private schools, must show proof that they had the pertussis booster shot before they return to school.
A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. The disease is treatable with antibiotics. For more information about whooping cough, please call the HHSA Immunization Branch at (866) 358-2966, or visit the web site at www.sdiz.org.
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