Number of whooping cough cases up to 227
| Monday, Aug 16 2010 07:00 PM
Last Updated Monday, Aug 16 2010 07:00 PM
WHOOPING COUGH IN KERN COUNTY
Case Counts
Confirmed: 178
Probable: 49
Total: 227
Age
Up to 6 months: 48
6-12 months: 17
13-18 months: 7
19-23 months: 0
2-5 years: 19
6-8 years: 12
9-11 years: 23
12-19 years: 42
Older than 20: 59
Median Age: 7 years
Age Range: <1 month - 78 years
Gender distribution
Male: 105
Female: 122
Hospitalized
Hospitalized: 22
Not hospitalized: 92
Pending: 113
UPCOMING CLINICS
Bakersfield
8 a.m.-5 p.m. today, Wednesday and Aug. 24
8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Aug. 23
Public Health Services Department, 1800 Mount Vernon Ave., 868-0502
Tehachapi
10:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Wednesday
Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District -- West Park Activity Center, 410 West D St. , 822-3005
Wasco
1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday
Public Health Services Department, 810 8th St., 758-3006
Lamont
1 p.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 24
Public Health Services Department, Lamont County Building, 12014 Main St., 868-5824
Ridgecrest
9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 24
Public Health Services Department, 250 W. Ridgecrest Blvd., 760-375-5157
Arvin
1 p.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 25
Public Health Services Department, 204 South Hill, 854-5411
Taft
1 p.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 26
Public Health Services Department, 315 Lincoln St., Room #150, 763-8591
Source: Kern County Department of Public Health Services
An additional 17 cases of whooping cough were reported last week in Kern County, bringing the total to 227 for the year, according to the Kern County Department of Public Health.
To help stem the tide of cases, the department is holding a series of "back to school" vaccination drives throughout Kern for children and adults who bring in kids for vaccination. The administrative fee of $13 will be waived for anyone without third-party insurance.
The monthly rate of cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, in Kern County has been going up and up this year, though no deaths have been reported. The weekly rate has, since May 23, ranged from five between May30 and June 5 to 33 between June 27 and July 3, according to Public Health.
Of the 227 Kern cases, 182 were reported in Bakersfield.
The reason for the uptick is unclear but it's happening across the state so health officials are just trying to get the word out about the need for vaccination, said Denise Smith, Public Health's assistant director of disease control.
Officials have said the incidence of whooping cough is cyclical. In Kern there were six reported cases in all of 2009 and eight in 2008, according to Public Health.
Many adults aren't protected because the vaccination they received as children has worn off and the adult version -- contained in the so-called Tdap vaccine -- has only been licensed for five years.
Whooping cough is a bacterial respiratory illness characterized by severe coughing that can last several weeks or even for months. It's spread through coughs and sneezes.
This is what the Public Health website recommends for keeping whooping cough immunization up to date:
* Children need five doses of DTaP by kindergarten and a Tdap booster at age 11 or 12. Tdap boosters are also recommended for teens and adults 65 and younger.
* Adults need a tetanus/diphtheria (Td) booster every 10 years after the primary series has been completed. For people 18-64, a one-time dose of Tdap for protection from pertussis is recommended to replace the next Td. Intervals of two years or less between Td and Tdap is suggested, but not required.
