Whooping Cough Spikes in the South Bay, and Statewide
Whooping cough is on the rise in the South Bay. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department is reporting a spike in the number of cases this month.
Doctors in Santa Clara County has reported 97 cases of whooping cough since the start of the year, more than half of those infections have all hit within the past month.
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"We typically see lots of cases in the late spring and in the summer, and this is one of those bad years that we see every four or five years," said Santa Clara Health Officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib.
He says it's hitting babies the hardest. In fact seven babies have died, out of more than 1,500 cases reported statewide so far this year.
"Most at risk is the tiny little infants who are at home," said Fenstersheib. "They're the ones that have started on their vaccine series, but haven't completed it. We want to make sure that those around them are vaccinated."
So, even if you were vaccinated as a child, it's worn off by now and health officials are urging postpartum moms, dads, older sisters and brothers, grandparents, babysitters, to call their doctors and request the T-Dap vaccine. That will boost your immunity and protect people with compromised immune systems.
