Yolo County Officials Perplexed By Unusual Spike In Whooping Cough Cases
/ CBS Sacramento
YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) — Little Rebecca Hall hasn't had so much as a fever in her 14 months of life. Her mom Nakayla says it's because she's been diligent with her daughter's immunization schedule.
"It's completely important. she's gotten all of her vaccinations and she hasn't been sick once," she said.
But health officials are concerned, because Yolo County is seeing a spike in whooping cough cases stronger than the rise in other California counties.
"It's most concerning because infants can become seriously ill and die from pertussis," said Dr. Constance Caldwell with the Yolo County Health Department.
She's puzzled by the spike, because nearly 95 percent of kids in Yolo County public schools are vaccinated.
"We have not seen the dramatic decline in the use of vaccine in this county that some other counties have seen," she said.
She says her department is doing all it can to keep parents educated.
The Centers For Disease Control recommends babies have five whooping cough shots before kindergarten and another booster in the seventh grade. It also asks pregnant moms to get the shot in their third trimester.
"My doctor told me about it and she kind of gave me the option and I'd rather get the vaccination instead of having the risk of her not being healthy," Nakayla said.
Caldwell says the only other thing you can do is to go to the doctor if a nagging cough won't go away.
"Get it checked out, because if it's pertussis, you can take a few days of antibiotics and that will limit the contagion," she said.
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