By Dave Lucas
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Albany, NY – A report released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that whooping cough cases are on the rise in upstate New York. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports that the State Health Department has responded with a call for vaccinations.
New York health officials are urging parents to vaccinate their children against pertussis, commonly known as "whooping cough," as reported cases escalate. The disease begins with cold-like symptoms, followed by a runny nose and cough... it can affect people of all ages, although it's most harmful to babies.
State Department of Health numbers for the first eight months of 2010 show 383 cases compared to 181 cases for the same period in 2009. New York State's most recent peak year for pertussis was in 2004, when nearly 2,000 cases were reported. State health department officials say Whooping Cough has not reached the epidemic stage.
Officials at the Albany County Health Department say they haven't seen any above ordinary increase in pertussis this year, with just 5 confirmed cases reported, but in Central New York, the Syracuse and Onondaga area has reported over 90 cases alone, according to the CDC statistics. The statistics also show that father west, Rochester and Monroe County report 10 confirmed cases from July and August.
New York is not alone in seeing increased cases of whooping cough : reports out of California cite more than 4200 cases so far this year, putting that state on track to break a 55-year record for infections. Nine people have died, all of them infants, CBS News reported. The current Whooping Cough outbreak is the largest in the U.S. in 55 years. For information about getting vaccinated against pertussis, contact your primary care provider or local health department.