By Jeff Odom
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local doctors are telling pregnant women it’s best to get vaccinated against whooping cough.
The recommendation comes after the disease, also known as pertussis, has been reported at levels not seen in nearly 50 years.
In a report released last month by the CDC, a widespread outbreak of the highly contagious disease was felt across America. Florida has seen a 10-year high in reported cases.
As of Oct. 30, 515 cases were reported across the state, according to the Florida Department of Health. That’s up from just 53 in 2002.
Dr. Michael Weiss, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology at Pasco Regional Medical Center in Dade City, said while there is no mandate on getting the vaccine, women who are pregnant are more likely to contract whooping cough and pass it to their children. He added, even teenagers should get immunized.
“Infants can get very severe symptoms of pertussis, become hospitalized and even die from it if it is bad enough,” Weiss said. “That’s why (the CDC is) basically recommending this booster injection and they are also recommending this for adolescents who are around the potent areas.”
Symptoms of whooping cough include, but are not limited to, coughing fits lasting from one to six weeks, runny nose, low grade fever and, for infants, apnea.
While it generally affects infants, teenagers and adults are just as likely to catch it without proper immunization, which generally lasts 10 years.
At the end of the 2011-12 school year, Hillsborough County saw 10 of its schools affected by the disease, with nearly 40 reported cases.
Weiss said public places like schools can be breeding grounds for spreading the illness, which is why children should get it early.
“Schools are good environments for it,” Weiss said. “People get generally vaccinated when they are children to make sure they have immunity to it. The side committee is recommending that all women should be vaccinated by their third trimester of pregnancy.”
With the new report published by the CDC, Weis said it is likely that changes will have to be made in medical centers, including Pasco Regional, to supply greater amounts of the vaccine.
For more information on whooping cough and how the vaccine works, go to www.cdc.gov/pertussis/index.html.
