Whooping Cough declared epidemic in California

[Skeptic Ginger]

From the CDC's 2007 totals:

In 2007, the incidence of reported cases of pertussis (3.62 cases per 100,000 population) continued to decline after peaking during 2004--2005 at 8.9 cases per 100,000 population. Infants aged <6 months, who are too young to be fully vaccinated, had the highest reported rate of pertussis (69.9 cases per 100,000 population), but adolescents aged 10--19 years and adults aged >20 years contributed the greatest number of reported cases. Adolescents and adults might be a source of transmission of pertussis to young infants, who are at higher risk for severe disease and death and are recommended to be vaccinated with tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) (1,2). Although coverage with Tdap in adolescents aged 13--17 years increased during 2006--2007, from 10.8% to 30.4%, whether increased Tdap coverage has had an effect on disease rates is unknown (3).

Cases reported nationally 2007
Pertussis
Total: 10,454


California had 590 cases in 2007.

In 2004, CA had 1,109 cases.

In 2005 CA had 3,182 reported cases.


We've had the same trend here in WA State. In King county alone there/ve been a couple hundred cases a year. It decreased in the last few years. But from the trend in CA, I wonder if we won't be seeing another sharp increase here too.


From the NPR news article:

Pertussis waxes and wanes. During the last peak five years ago in California, there were 3,182 cases and eight deaths, the health department said.

Already this year, though, whooping cough has claimed the lives of five infants, all of them less than 3 months old. If the cases keep rolling in as they have been, this could be the worst epidemic of whooping cough in the state in 50 years.

All the deaths were preventable if there had been herd immunity preventing the epidemic. None of the younger than 3 month old children killed would have been saved by their own vaccinations.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

The 2008 summary of notifiable diseases came out today. Here are the pertussis comments:

Although the incidence of reported pertussis has declined in the United States following the 2004 peak (8.9 per 100,000), overall incidence increased slightly during 2007 and 2008 (3.62 and 4.18 cases per 100,000, respectively). Infants aged <6 months, who are at greatest risk for severe disease and death, continued to have the highest reported rate of pertussis (79.41 per 100,000). However, adolescents (aged 10--19 years) and adults (aged >20 years) accounted for nearly half of reported cases in 2008, and the contribution of cases in persons aged 5--9 years appears to be increasing in comparison with previous years (20% of cases in 2008, 13% of cases in 2007, 10% in 2006). Adolescents and adults are critical age groups as they are thought to be a source of transmission of pertussis to young infants who are too young to be completely vaccinated. In 2005, a combined tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) was recommended for use among adolescents and adults (1,2). Although Tdap coverage among adolescents aged 13--17 years has increased from 10.8% in 2006 to 40.8% in 2008, the direct impact of Tdap is still unknown (3,4). Continued monitoring of disease trends through national surveillance will be important to assess both the direct impact of Tdap among target vaccine age groups and the indirect effects of vaccination on infants.

(emphasis mine)

 

[LarianLeQuella]

This is the evidence based recommendation.

Now why would Americans be interested in that? You know they won't listen to it unless some blond bimbo who is only known for taking her clothes off after starring on a channel that used to lay music videos says it...