According to information released by the Orange County Registrar on July 8, 2010, cases of whooping cough have nearly doubled. Last month the State of California declared an epidemic of whooping cough. On June 15th, the statewide cases totaled 910 with 55 cases being from Orange County. As of July 3, 2010, Orange County's has declared 99 cases of diagnosed whooping cough. Last year at this time, according to Health Care Agency spokeswoman Nicole Stanfield, there were only 10 cases. Stanfield went on to describe that there is a 2-5 year cycle where cases of whooping cough will peak. The last peak occurred in 2005 with only 34 cases at this time of the year. This is a 3-fold increase from the most recent peak of whooping cough incidences. To date 5 infants under the age of 3 months have died.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious illness that can be prevented through vaccination. The take-home message of this epidemic is "Get Vaccinated" to not only protect you but others as well.
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