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Whooping Cough Warning; Free Vaccinations

KEYT Anchor

Story Created: Jul 29, 2010 at 7:15 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 2, 2010 at 2:49 PM PDT

Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo- Local health officials are urging people to be careful about a Whooping Cough epidemic that is making its way across California.

Several clinics will be offering free vaccinations (see list below) to help keep the disease from spreading. Some 270 cases have been confirmed so far in San Luis Obispo County alone. 1,500 cases have been confirmed in California, that is five times the normal amount during this same period.

San Diego County health officials say a month-old baby boy has died of whooping cough. The death reported Thursday marks at least the seventh infant to die of whooping cough this year in California.

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency says the
boy died Tuesday at Rady Children's Hospital, the county's first whooping cough death in nine years.

Whooping cough has become an epidemic in California, which has
recorded about 1,500 cases through July 13. That's a fivefold
increase over the same period last year.

Santa Barbara County Health Officer Dr. Elliot Schulman urges
parents and caretakers to get vaccinations to avoid more deaths
because the illness is highly contagious.

A typical case appears similar to a common cold for up to two
weeks, followed by coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping
sound.

There will be free pertussis vaccine available at clinics in San Luis Obispo County at the following locations in the coming weeks.

The first one will be Tuesday, August 10th from 9am to 5pm in the San Luis Ambulance Conference Room located at 3546 South Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo.

The next will be Wednesday, August 11th from 9am to 1pm in the South County Sheriff's Substation Conference Room located at 1681 Front Street in Oceano.

And the third clinic will take place Friday, August 13th from 9am to 1pm in the Paso Robles Senior Center located at 270 Scott Street in Paso Robles.

The clinics will be open to people over the age of 10 and no appointment is necessary.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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