California’s Whooping Cough Epidemic

State health department reports pertussis outbreak and recommends that infants and pregnant women be vaccinated.

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

CDCWhooping cough, or pertussis, has reached epidemic proportions in California, the state Department of Public Health (CDPH) said in a statement issued last week (June 13). Counties have reported 3,458 cases of the disease this year; more than 800 of these were reported in the last two weeks alone.

Pertussis epidemics are cyclical and peak every three to five years. A 2010 outbreak in the state resulted in more than 9,000 cases, the most recorded in any year since 1947. Health officials said this year’s cases are on track to meet that number, the Los Angeles Times reported. The majority of these cases have occurred in infants and children under 18.

“Prevention of pertussis is particularly important in young infants because they are the ones at risk for severe disease and death,” Gil Chavez, state epidemiologist and deputy director of the California Department of Public Health, told reporters.

Cases of the disease have been on the rise since the 1990s; a June 10 CDPH report pointed to the increasing use of acellular pertussis vaccines ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Jyoti Madhusoodanan

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
TS Digest January 2025
January 2025, Issue 1

Why Do Some People Get Drunk Faster Than Others?

Genetics and tolerance shake up how alcohol affects each person, creating a unique cocktail of experiences.

View this Issue
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino
New Approaches for Decoding Cancer at the Single-Cell Level

New Approaches for Decoding Cancer at the Single-Cell Level

Biotium logo
Learn How 3D Cell Cultures Advance Tissue Regeneration

Organoids as a Tool for Tissue Regeneration Research 

Acro 

Products

Artificial Inc. Logo

Artificial Inc. proof-of-concept data demonstrates platform capabilities with NVIDIA’s BioNeMo

Sapient Logo

Sapient Partners with Alamar Biosciences to Extend Targeted Proteomics Services Using NULISA™ Assays for Cytokines, Chemokines, and Inflammatory Mediators

Bio-Rad Logo

Bio-Rad Extends Range of Vericheck ddPCR Empty-Full Capsid Kits to Optimize AAV Vector Characterization

Scientist holding a blood sample tube labeled Mycoplasma test in front of many other tubes containing patient samples

Accelerating Mycoplasma Testing for Targeted Therapy Development