Whooping cough vaccination deadline extended

Valley youngsters should be vaccinated as soon as possible to comply with a state law requiring students entering seventh through 12th grades be vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough), county health officials said.

That's despite an extended deadline put in place by Gov. Jerry Brown last week.

"The need for students to get the Tdap vaccination remains a high priority when it comes to the health of the community,” said Dr. Eric Frykman, health officer for Riverside County. “Nothing has changed in that regard. It is crucial for parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Prior to the law, parents were not required to show proof of the vaccination, which, under some health care coverage, is given at age 11 as a booster along with tetanus and diphtheria. Pertussis boosters will now be required at 10-year intervals, just as tetanus and diphtheria are, according to health officials.

“With the school year coming to a close, it is a great time to remind parents and guardians about the new rule,” said Eric Frykman, Health Officer for Riverside County Community Health Agency. “This way parents can be prepared for the new school year.”

The law is requiring districts to look at individual immunization records.

When registering for the 2011-2012 school year, all students in seventh through 12th grades will be required to show proof.

The need

As of July 28, there were 142 cases of pertussis reported in Riverside County. No pertussis deaths have been reported in the county. Statewide, the outbreak has been blamed for 10 deaths, nine of them in Hispanic infants under 2 months old.

In 2010, the county reported 461 cases.

Barbara Cole, director of Disease Control for the Riverside County Department of Public Health, said it is normal to see a spike in cases every three to five years, but that 2010 saw the most cases in more than 60 years.

“We’re not sure, but something may have changed in the bacteria, making it more virulent,” Cole said.

Children under 6 months old are the most susceptible, she said, because it takes up until that age for the vaccinations to reach their full potential. The first in a series of three vaccinations is given at 2 months, and the last at 6 months.

Pertussis cases in California spiked in August 2010, and rose slightly again in November, according to a Jan. 7 report from the California Department of Public Health.