Whooping Cough Cases Increase in Tulare County, Health Officials Encourage Tdap Vaccination

Tulare County is experiencing an increase in cases of whooping cough (also known as pertussis), a highly contagious bacterial disease that can be spread through coughing and can cause severe illness, especially in infants. As recommended by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone who is between 27 and 36 weeks pregnant and family members or caregivers of infants should get the Tdap/DTaP (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination to help protect infants and young children against serious illness and hospitalization. 

Individuals vaccinated against whooping cough are protected against severe illness and complications due to whooping cough. These complications can be most severe in infants, causing apnea (dangerous pauses in breathing), and can be fatal.

"Infants are particularly vulnerable, and that's why public health especially encourages people who are pregnant to receive the Tdap vaccine during the 27th through 36th week of each pregnancy, preferably during the earlier part of this time as it lowers the risk of whooping cough in babies younger than 2 months,” stated Dr. Asma Tariq, Tulare County Public Health Officer.

Recommendations: With whooping cough cases rising, Tulare County Public Health aligns with CDPH and CDC recommendations for vaccination:

• Pregnant people between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, even if they have received Tdap in the past.  (Learn more about Tdap during pregnancy from the CDC: www.cdc.gov/pertussis/vaccines/tdap-vaccination-during-pregnancy.html)

• Adults, every 10 years.

• Adolescents aged 11 or 12 years (Tdap vaccine is also required for 7th grade advancement in California, per CDPH guidance: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/School/tk-12-immunizations.aspx).

• Infants and young children receive their own whooping cough (DTaP) vaccines starting at 2 months through 4-6 years of age. Babies and children who haven't had all the recommended doses are more likely to have serious complications.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about which vaccines are right for you and your family.

People with whooping cough have severe coughing attacks that can last for months. Infants too young for vaccination are at greatest risk for hospitalization and death. Early signs of whooping cough are similar to symptoms of the common cold, such as a runny or stuffy nose and low-grade fever. Babies with whooping cough may have trouble breathing, turn blue, or stop breathing.

To protect infants from whooping cough, health officials strongly urge maternal immunization with Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine in the last trimester (between 27 and 36 weeks) of every pregnancy. When given during pregnancy, Tdap is approximately 90% effective in preventing infant hospitalizations due to whooping cough. It is also beneficial for all family members and caregivers of newborns to receive Tdap (for adults and children seven years of age or older) and for DTaP (for those six years of age or younger) vaccines to prevent spreading whooping cough to infants.  This "cocooning" strategy is strongly supported by both CDPH and CDC guidelines. These vaccines are safe and effective and can be received at the same time as flu, COVID, or RSV vaccines.