Whooping cough outbreak leaves 6 infants dead

The death of six infants under 3 months of age is adding intensity to what CNN is saying "could be the largest whooping cough outbreak in more than 50 years" for California. Health officials there are now recommending booster shots for nearly everyone in the state, especially health care workers, parents and anyone who may come in contact with babies.

The facts

• Nearly 1,500 Californians this year have been diagnosed with whooping cough
• That is five times the normal level for this time of year
• Doctors are investigating another 700 possible cases 
• Many more may have had the infection, which often goes undiagnosed or unreported.

Protecting children

Gilberto Chavez, chief of the California Department of Public Health's Center for Infectious Disease says it's especially important to protect babies, who have no natural immunity to whooping cough, also known as pertussis, and who are the most likely to die from it.

Although infants can get their first shots at 6 weeks, they are not fully protected until after their third shot, at 6 months. 

The only way to protect babies is to vaccinate everyone around them. High vaccination rates with create a "herd immunity" for the entire community, even those who are unvaccinated.

The state health department is providing whooping cough boosters to new mothers and other close contacts of infants at all birthing hospitals, community health centers and local health departments.

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