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JOINING ME NOW WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT THE WHOPPING COUGH EPIDEMIC IS REPORTER
JOANNE FARIAN. THAT BABY DIED FROM COMPLICATIONS OF WHOPPING COUGH. IS THERE ANY SHOW THAT
THE DISEASE IS SLOWING DOWN?
NO. IT'S ACTUALLY PICKING UP. IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A HUNDRED
CONFIRMED CASES IN THE COUNTY. END OF AUGUST, WE HAD MORE THAN 300 CONFIRMED CASES. NOW
WE HAVE 554 CONFIRMED CASES. ALSO THE STATE SHOWS THAT SAME TREND. THIS IS THE WORST EPIDEMIC
IN 55 YEARS.
WHY DO HEALTH OFFICIALS THINK THAT THERE ARE SHARP INCREASES AT THIS POINT?
WELL, THERE'S A FEW REASONS. FIRST OF ALL, THIS DISEASE TENDS TO PEAK IN THE SUMMER.
WE'RE A LITTLE LATE FOR THAT. USUALLY IT'S IN JULY. WE'RE SEEING IT IN SEPTEMBER. KIDS
ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, THIS IS A VERY CONTAGIOUS DISEASE. AND THERE'S SO MUCH AWARENESS RIGHT
NOW ABOUT WHOPPING COUGH IN THE COMMUNITY SO THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE GOING TO THEIR DOCTORS
ASKING.
THERE'S PROBABLY MORE REPORTING GOING ON ABOUT THE SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE. NOW, YOU DID
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF THE WHOPPING COUGH VACCINE. WHAT'S KNOWN ABOUT
HOW GOOD IT WORKS?
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. KPBS LOOKED AT DATA IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR PEOPLE WHO
WERE TESTED POSITIVE FOR WHOPPING COUGH. AT THE TIME, THERE WERE MORE THAN 300 POSITIVE
CASES. WE FOUND THAT NEARLY 200 OF THOSE CASES, THEY WERE UPDATE WITH THEIR IMMUNIZATIONS
FOR WHOPPING COUGH. WHY DO THEY STILL GET THE DISEASE? A NUMBER OF REASONS. EXPERTS
SAY THIS VACCINE IS NOT 100% EFFECTIVE. VARIOUS ESTIMATES PLACE IT BETWEEN 80-90% EFFECTIVE.
WE SPOKE WITH ONE WORLD EXPERT WHO SAID IT'S MAYBE ONLY 70% EFFECTIVE AND OTHERS WHO SAY
WE OUGHT TO BE LOOKING AT THE VACCINE AND THE CURRENT STRAIN OF WHOPPING COUGH AND ASKING
THESE QUESTIONS.
IS THERE A SIGN THEY MAY ACCOMMODATE THE VACCINES TO THE CHANGING DISEASE?
I'VE SPOKEN WITH SOMEONE FREQUENTLY ABOUT IT AND HE SAYS THERE IS A LOT OF RESEARCH
BEING DONE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. FOR EXAMPLE IN IRELAND THEY FOUND A GROUP OF FULLY
VACCINATED CHILDREN WHO WERE ALSO GETTING SICK. I CAME ACROSS A PAPER IN ISRAEL. THE
DISCUSSION HAS BEGUN ABOUT THIS.
JUST BRIEFLY, DO THEY HAVE A SENSE OF WHEN THIS WILL TAPER OFF?
WELL, THE COUNTY DEPUTY HEALTH OFFICER SAYS HE EXPECTS THAT BY NEXT MONTH, WE SHOULD SEE
THESE NUMBERS GO DOWN. THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE DISEASE. WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANKS.