PORTLAND (AP) — State health officials say the number of reported cases of whooping cough more than tripled in Maine this year.
There have been 701 cases so far in 2012, compared to 202 in the previous year. The number of cases nationally also hit a more than 50-year high.
Whooping cough — also known as pertussis — is a respiratory disease characterized by long, violent coughing fits.
State epidemiologist Stephen Sears told the Portland Press Herald that residents should get vaccinated if they are not sure about their immunization history.
More than 90 percent of young children in Maine are vaccinated for whooping cough, but older children often fall behind on booster shots.
The disease has been most common in the state this year among children ages 9-11.
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Whooping cough after vaccinactions
Whooping cough is definitely an illness that is scary for any parent to witness in a child and seeing a rise in the number of cases in the state should make us all be more cautious in maintaining good health standards. I wondered as I read this report how many of the recent cases of whooping cough were seen in patients who had been vaccinated and were up to date on boosters? Anyone know?
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