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REGION: Schools, clinic let parents know about vaccination requirement Whooping cough booster shots required for all teens this fall

What they aren't telling you is this is not a booster. It contains several other vaccines as well, and you probably won't have a choice of which ones. See the appended article on Whooping Cough vaccines. Be sure not to be brow-beaten into obtaining this against your will. Ask for the exemption certificate. I am advising my Granddaughter to just say "No". - Willis

Story Discussion REGION: Schools, clinic let parents know about vaccination requirement By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@... North County Times - The Californian | Posted: Sunday, February 27, 2011 5:14 pm

Schools in Vista and Oceanside are teaming with the Vista Community Clinic to get the word out about a new requirement that all teens be up to date with whooping cough shots before enrolling in classes this fall.

Oceanside Unified and Vista Unified school district officials plan to send letters and make phone calls to all parents with students in grades seven through 12, letting them know that those students will need proof that they had the booster shot before they can enroll next school year.

To try to handle an expected increase in demand, the community clinic, which operates five offices in Vista and Oceanside, will organize a series of walk-in events to give low-cost vaccinations.

The first one will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the clinic's office at 134 Grapevine Road in Vista.

Vaccines will cost $4 for those without insurance. Those who have insurance that doesn't cover the shot will pay $53.

The clinic hasn't seen an increase in demand for the shots yet, but they're anticipating one, said , spokeswoman for the clinic.

"We just don't know when to expect it," she said.

That's why they're letting parents know about the requirement now instead of waiting until the new school year is near, she said.

Parents of students who were vaccinated after their 10th birthday can bring proof to their school's health office at any time, said Steve Hargrave, director of student support services for Vista Unified.

The 2011-12 school year is the only time students in grades eight through 12 will need to show proof of vaccination. Beginning in fall 2012, only incoming seventh-graders will need the documentation.

Whooping cough has become a problem locally and across the state over the past several months. Three new cases were reported in North County last week, and 93 cases were reported countywide this year. Last year, there were 1,144 cases, almost three times the previous record set in 2005 and far more than the 143 reported the year before, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency.

The California Department of Public Health declared a whooping cough epidemic in late June after the number of cases statewide began to spike.

Across the state, there were 8,383 confirmed, probable and suspected cases last year, according to the California Department of Public Health, which says the infection rate is the highest seen since 1958.

Whooping cough starts with cold-like symptoms, manifesting in severe coughing fits 10 to 12 days later. Patients drawing a rapid breath after prolonged coughing make a characteristic whooping sound.

The cough can last for weeks, even months. The bacterial infection is generally treated with antibiotics.

The new regulations will help prevent the illness from spreading, which can be especially dangerous if a student brings it home and infects an unvaccinated infant, said.

"Once one child in a school gets infected, any other child who isn't vaccinated is at risk," said.

Call staff writer Brandt at .

Copyright 2011 North County Times - The Californian. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Updated: December 16, 2008

Table of Contents

Understanding the Disease Available Vaccines History of the Vaccine Who Should and Should Not Receive the Vaccine Dose Schedule Effectiveness of the Vaccine Known Side Effects Related Issues Key References and Sources of Additional Information CDC Information

Understanding the DiseaseTop

Pertussis is a bacterial infection caused by Bordetella pertussis. The germ is spread when infected people cough or sneeze.

Children with pertussis have decreased ability to cough up respiratory secretions and develop thick, glue-like mucus in the windpipe. This causes severe coughing spells that make it difficult for them to eat, drink, or breathe. The child may suffer from coughing spells for two to three weeks or longer. Sometimes the child coughs several times before breathing in; when the child finally does breathe in there is often a loud gasp or “whooping†sound. The disease is most severe when it occurs early in life; it often requires hospitalization.

The majority of pertussis-related deaths are in young infants which may occur when other bacteria take the opportunity to invade the sick infant’s lungs. Primary pertussis pneumonia also may be life-threatening in infancy. In 1997, adolescents and adults accounted for 46% of reported cases of pertussis, and they are often the ones who spread this disease to infants and children.

Pertussis is one of the most contagious human diseases, so it is a great risk to those who are unvaccinated. Pertussis will develop in 90% of unvaccinated children living with someone with pertussis, and in 50% to 80% of unvaccinated children who attend school or daycare with someone with pertussis. Approximately 50 out of every 10,000 people who develop pertussis die from the disease.

Between 1940-1945, before widespread vaccination, as many as 147,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States each year, with approximately 8,000 deaths caused by the disease. In 1976, there were 1,010 case of pertussis in the US, the lowest number of cases ever reported. Over the past few years the number of reported cases of pertussis has increased, reaching 25, 827 in 2004. Worldwide, there are an estimated 300,000 annual deaths due to pertussis.

In 2004, adolescents 11-18 years of age and adults 19-64 years of age accounted for 34% and 27% of the cases of pertussis in the US. The true numbers are probably much higher in these age ranges because pertussis is often not recognized in adults. These cases are very important because teenagers and adults with pertussis can transmit the infection to other people, including infants who are at greatest risk for complications and death. Recommendations for the use of newly licensed vaccines for adolescents and adults have recently been published.

Available VaccinesTop

No pertussis-only vaccine is available. The pertussis vaccine is available as:

DTaP (Diphtheria Toxois-Tetanus Toxoid-acellular Pertussis vaccine) DTaP in combination with Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine DTaP in combination with hepatitis B and inactivated polio vaccines DTaP in combination with Hib, hepatitis B and inactivated polio vaccines Tdap (Tetanus Toxoid reduced-Diphtheria-acellular Pertussis vaccine)

Vaccines containing the whole cell pertussis component (DTP) are no longer recommended for use in the United States and are not listed here, although they are used in many countries. Vaccines containing lower amounts of diphtheria toxoid—abbreviated with a small d—are utilized in persons 7 years of age or older. Pertussis component-containing vaccines are not available for children 7-9 years of age.