OC Register, Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Whooping cough back; booster shots pondered
Health -- A 51% increase in the disease in the 90s is continuing
By Lauran Neergaard, The Associated Press
Washington
Whooping cough is one of those diseases most people think is history - but the dangerous germ that can leave sufferers gasping for air is making a comeback.
The cough so strong it can break a rib once hit mostly babies and toddlers, but now it's striking more and more teen-agers and young adults. Apparently the vaccinations Americans get as babies can wear off.
Here's the real risk: While older people usually recover, they can easily spread the illness to infants too young for vaccinations. Whooping cough can kill babies.
So experts warn new parents to keep infants away from anyone who's coughing, even as scientists study whether millions of Americans should start getting booster doses of whooping-cough vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 56,775 whooping-cough cases during the 1990s, a 51 percent increase from the 1980s - and a rise that's continuing.
The Orange County Health Care Agency said local cases are on the decline, and no cases have been found in the teen population.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection that at first seems like a cold. Coughing fits begin about a week later, up to 15 coughs in a row followed by a high-pitched "whoop" as patients gasp for air.
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