Community Corner
Local Whooping Cough Cases on the Rise
Salisbury elementary school students were some of many local whooping cough patients.
Earlier this year, students at Salisbury Township's two elementary schools, and , were diagnosed with
Whooping cough cases were also reported in in and Easton Area School District. Those cases appear to have been among a rising number of cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in the Lehigh Valley and nationally. Local health officials say the number of whooping cough cases in the Lehigh Valley this year is higher than it's been in years, according to WFMZ.
"For every confirmed case, we probably have boatload more that haven't been detected yet," the Allentown Health Bureau's Vicky Kistler told the TV station.
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Whooping cough is a contagious bacterial infection that can be particularly serious for babies. It gets its name from the convulsive coughing fits it causes in people with the infection, which can start out as a cold.
The state Department of Health issued the following guidelines:
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- All Pennsylvanians should get vaccinated and protect themselves.
- The typical childhood vaccine immunization series is at 4, 6, 15-18 months and a booster at 4-6 years old.
The adolescent-adult Tdap vaccines are recommended for:
- Individuals 10 to 64 years of age who are not fully immunized
- Women of childbearing age, before or immediately after pregnancy
- People who have contact with pregnant women or infants too young to have received a full series of vaccinations
- All family members and caregivers of infants.
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