Community Corner

Pierce County, State Continue To See Spike in Whooping Cough Cases

The Tacoma-Pierce County Healthy Department is holding a free vaccination clinic to help prevent residents from becoming one of those cases.

  • WHAT: Free Tdap (whooping cough) shots
  • WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday
  • WHERE: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, 3629 South D. St., Tacoma.
  • WHAT ELSE: Free children's shots are also available

The latest numbers show that Pierce County isn't immune to this year's spike in reported whooping cough cases.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reports there have been 131 confirmed cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, reported this year.

And that figure accounts only for the cases that have been reported to the agency, so the number is expected to rise.

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That's why this Saturday, the health department will hold a free Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) vaccination clinic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Tacoma. Children’s immunizations (Dtap) will also be available.

(Click here for more information on the clinic. The event also has a Facebook page)

Find out what's happening in Lakewood-JBLMwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We are still very concerened about the rates of disease in our community and urge everyone to get vaccinated against the disease," says spokeswoman Bridget Vandeventer. "Of special concern are pregnant women and adults who have contact with infants, as they are the most vulnerable to pertussis."

The local numbers come as counties statewide are seeing an record increase in reported whooping cough cases, according to the state Department of Health.

The total of 1,008 cases statewide as of April 21 is more than reported all of last year and is the highest number of cases since 1,026 were reported in 2005.

The state is on pace to reach more than 3,000 cases for the year; levels that haven’t been seen in more than six decades, according to the Department of Health.

“We’re very concerned about the risk to infants, especially because of how quickly whooping cough is spreading,” says Secretary of Health, Mary Selecky. “Whooping cough can be life threatening for infants, and they’re too young to get enough doses of vaccine to be protected. That’s why we want everyone else to make sure they’re vaccinated against whooping cough.”

Already this year 71 infants under a year old have been reported to have whooping cough. Eighteen of them have been hospitalized. No babies have died in 2012, but two babies died in 2010 and two in 2011.


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