Whooping cough cases continue to surge in San Diego County with 621 cases confirmed so far this year – nearly eight times as many cases as this same time last year.
Pertussis cases have been skyrocketing all year and this week, 19 more cases have been reported where the public may have been exposed, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services.
The local numbers are part of greater nationwide trend.
As of June 10, there have been 3,458 cases of pertussis reported to California Department of Public Health this year, more than were reported in all of 2013. More than 800 new cases have been reported in the past two weeks.
Health officials said the frequency of pertussis cases ebbs and flows every three to five years, with the last peak in California in 2010.
The main priority for health officials is preventing serious disease and death in infants. As for vaccination, young children need five doses of DTaP by kindergarten and a Tdap booster is recommended for pregnant women during their third trimester.
Here’s the week’s new pertussis cases as provided by the San Diego County Health and Human Services. All of them had been up-to-date on their immunizations expect for three noted:
- An individual at KinderCare in San Marcos
- A 6-year-old, a 9-year-old and a 10-year-old at Marshall Elementary School in the San Diego Unified School District.
- An 8-year-old who was not up-to-date with immunizations at Lake Elementary School in the Vista Unified School District.
- An 8-year-old at Sunset Hills Elementary School in the Poway Unified School District.
- A 15-year-old at Carlsbad High School in the Carlsbad Unified School District.
- An 11- year-old at Twin Oaks Elementary School in the San Marcos Unified School District.
- An 11-year-old who was not up-to-date with immunizations at Marston Middle School in the San Diego Unified School District.
- A 12-year-old who was not up-to-date with immunizations at Encinitas Country Day School in Encinitas.
- A 13-year-old at Meadowbrook Middle School in the Poway Unified School District.
- A 13-year-old at Carmel Valley Middle School in the San Dieguito Union High School District.
- A 13-year-old at Carlton Oaks School in the Santee School District.
- A 13-year-old and a 14-year-old at Lewis Middle School in the San Diego Unified School District.
- A 14-year-old at La Jolla High School in the San Diego Unified School District.
- A 14-year-old at Magnolia Science Academy in the San Diego Unified School District.
- A 16-year-old at Mount Carmel High School in the Poway Unified School District.
- A 17-year-old at Junipero Serra High School in the San Diego Unified School District.
