California Department of Public Health made an exciting announcement on their website yesterday, no deaths caused by whooping cough for 2011. While whooping cough, or Pertussis, is a preventable bacterial disease, it has been on the rise since the early 80′s. In 2010 alone, there were 7,824 confirmed, probable or suspected cases reported, the highest amount since 1947 when 9,394 cases were reported and a massive 700% increase over recent averages. The disease also claimed the lives of nine infants of less than two months, before their first scheduled vaccine, and a six month old preemie.
The Pertussis Report for December, 2010, showed an overwhelming majority of cases involved infants under the age of six months (385 cases/100,000), with the highest percent going to Hispanic and White children and a very low rate for Asian/Pacific Islander. There is a strong correlation among increasing preventable disease outbreaks and a growing trend of parents choosing not to immunize their children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest receiving Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccines at the ages of 2, 4, 6, 15-18 months of age, with a final booster at 4-6 years of age. The age breakdown shows that the largest number of cases specifically highlight infants before their first vaccine and children between six and eighteen. While infant rates are hard to control, cases in older children are almost certainly caused by the absence of their final booster shot.
California kindergarten immunization rates show a strong disparity between up to date vaccination records among different ethnic groups. Approximately 75% of White and Hispanic children are up to date with their immunizations, while Asian children tend to sit closer to 85%. What is more interesting is the staggering difference between the public and private schools. In the Bay Area, public school enrollment showed that an average of 87% of students came in with all their immunizations up to date while only 13% of private school children in the same area of could say the same.
While, there were still almost 3,000 reported cases of whooping cough for 2011, the CDPH says the recent success in reducing the number of cases and preventing infant deaths is from a strong increase in awareness. Ron Chapman, director of the CDPH said, “Greater awareness of the disease, more rapid diagnosis and treatment, and increased vaccination rates contributed to saving the lives of infants. I thank our public health and medical communities for working together and being especially vigilant following the 2010 epidemic.”
