New California Law Requires Whooping Cough Vaccine For Grades 7-12
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California teens need to be up to date on their whooping cough shots before starting classes next fall in order to be in compliance with a new law.
The statute requires all middle and high school students to be vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, also known as pertussis, prior to the school year that starts in the fall of 2011.
State immunization chief Dr. Eileen Yamada says students in public and private schools will need to show proof of a TDAP booster shot before starting school.
"They really will need documentation to get into school, so it's very important to plan ahead, make appointments now, and keep student immunization record in a safe place," said Yamada.
Parents should scrutinize medical records to make sure their children got the TDAP vaccine, which covers pertussis, and not just the TD vaccine.
The reason the state is targeting those students is that immunity begins to wane 10 years after a pertussis vaccine is given, and most students were last immunized before entering kindergarten, between ages 4 and 6.
More than 7,800 cases of whooping cough were reported in California in 2010, including 10 deaths.
"A big reason the legislature passed this was because of the pertussis epidemic was very big this year and there was a realization that we had significant number of susceptible students in schools," said Yamada.
A little over half of adolescents are immunized against the illness, she said.
Vaccines should be covered under health insurance as preventive care, said Yamada. The uninsured should contact local health departments to find clinics participating in the federal Vaccine for Children program, which administers free immunizations.
The disease is still at a high level in the state, and though it's slowing now from earlier reports of epidemics, it's still much higher than previous years, said Yamada.
"It's always important to be vigilant and make sure our young people are safe," she said.
Whooping cough typically starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks or months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever is rare.
Unimmunized or incompletely immunized babies are vulnerable, and pregnant women are encouraged to get booster shots. Neither vaccine nor surviving the illness provides lifetime immunity.
Babies need shots at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, with boosters at 15 to 18 months and before kindergarten.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
