Learning Support Services
Alternative Programs
13626 Twin Peaks Road, Poway, CA 92064
Phone: 858-679-2530 Fax 858-679-2630

Whooping Cough/Pertussis The entire state is currently experiencing an epidemic of whooping cough cases which is the common name for pertussis. Whooping cough is a bacterial respiratory illness characterized by severe spasms of coughing that can last for several weeks or even for months. Whooping cough is usually spread from person-to-person through close contact with respiratory droplets released when a person coughs or sneezes. Whooping cough, which gets its name from the noise children make when they gasp for breath between violent coughs, can be deadly in infants under the age of 12 months. It is usually just an annoying illness in older children and adults, although it can turn into bronchitis or other lung infections.

The best way to prevent the disease is with vaccination. Infants begin receiving this vaccine at two months of age. By the time children reach young adulthood, they no longer have the immunity and require a booster. A vaccine for older children and adults became available in 2005. Parents can protect their infants and children by checking with their health care provider to make sure that all family members’ immunizations are up to date. For the most recent local information or local immunization clinics please go to the County of San Diego Public Health Department’s Immunization website at www.sdiz.org | MORE ABOUT PERTUSSIS (Whooping Cough)