[Craig]

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION IS SOUNDING THE ALARM ABOUT A SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF WHOOPING COUGH CASES IN THE UNITED STATES.  WHOOPING COUGH IS ALSO KNOWN AS PERTUSSIS.
AS OF MID-DECEMBER,  THE C-D-C HAD RECORDED 32,000 CASES NATIONWIDE.  THAT’S THE HIGHEST ANNUAL NUMBER IN A DECADE. THE 12-WEEK PERIOD LEADING UP TO MID-DECEMBER, WAS ESPECIALLY BAD. THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE CASES DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, EQUALED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF WHOOPING COUGH CASES FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
EXPERTS ATTRIBUTE THE JUMP TO WANING VACCINE PROTECTION, LOWER VACCINATION RATES AND IMPROVED TESTING.
WHOOPING COUGH IS A BACTERIAL INFECTION THAT AFFECTS THE UPPER RESPIRATORY SYSTEM. SYMPTOMS INCLUDE – A HIGH-PITCHED STRONG COUGH, A RUNNY NOSE AND A FEVER. IT’S PEAK TIME PERIOD IS THE FALL OR WINTER.
CDC DATA SHOWS NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN AS THE STATES WITH MORE THAN 2000 CASES.
INFANTS ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO GETTING WHOOPING COUGH. DOCTORS ALSO SAY THEY ARE SEEING MORE CHILDREN, WHO ARE NOW **UNIMMUNIZED** WHEN IT COMES TO CONTRACTING THE ILLNESS. THE CDC RECOMMENDS CHILDREN GET THE VACCINE FOR WHOOPING COUGH BEGINNING AT TWO MONTHS OLD, FOLLOWED BY BOOSTER SHOTS WHEN THEY TURN ONE AND AGAIN BETWEEN THE AGES OR FOUR AND SIX.
A DIFFERENT FORMULATION OF THE SHOT, CALLED THE TDAP VACCINE IS RECOMMENDED FOR PRE-TEENS AS WELL AS ADULTS, EVERY TEN YEARS.  UNFORTUNATELY DOCTORS SAY THE VACCINE’S EFFECTIVENESS FADES, OVER TIME.
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