Vermont Offers Free Whooping Cough Vaccine

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The Vermont Health Department was dispensing free vaccines Wednesday at clinics around the state to prevent the spread of whooping cough,  which has reached epidemic numbers in Vermont.

Vermont officials recommend that everyone 11-years and older get a Tdap vaccine booster for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis or whooping cough.

The state held free vaccine clinics Wednesday at its 12 district offices for those who could not  get to their doctor to get a shot. The state ordered 3,500 vaccines costing $70,000 for the clinics.

As of two weeks ago, 522 Vermonters,  a majority of them children ages 10-14,  had been infected with whooping cough or pertussis this year. That's 10 times the amount reported this time last year.

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