Whooping Cough Makes a Comeback

OAKLAND (KCBS)_ The number of whooping cough cases continues to grow in California.  In Oakland the Alameda County Department of Public Health is doing outreach and providing vaccinations.

At the North Oakland Farmer's Market Catharine Ratto with the Alameda County Public Heath department set up a card table along side the fruits and veggies, educating the public about whooping cough.

"All of our boosters used to be just tetanus and diphtheria and now they've added the pertussis portion to it so most of us have gotten the vaccination for the tetanus and diphtheria without any pertussis," says Ratto.

Because of this recent addition to the booster shot, Ratto says most people's immunizations have begun to wane.  There have been more than 3,300 cases tallied so far in California and eight deaths, all in southern California, all infants under 12 months of age.

California is one of a few states that don't mandate the whooping cough booster for 7th grade entry.

160 cases of whooping cough have been tallied in Alameda County.