Preventable Childhood Illness on the Rise
Written by Ann Pietrangelo on June 1st, 2009 in Family, Health Care Policy, In The News, Linked Articles.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that “since the 1980s, there’s been a 
dramatic increase in the number of cases of pertussis, especially among teens (10–19 years of age) and babies less than 5 months of age. In 2005, there were more than 25,000 total reported cases.”
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, begins much like the common cold. It is most contagious before the coughing begins. As the disease progresses, violent coughing affects the ability to breathe, causing the loud whooping sound, and can lead to pneumonia or convulsions. More than 50 percent of infants under the age of one who contract whooping cough must be hospitalized. Death is rare, but 10 – 20 people in the United States die each year from pertussis…
Photo Credit: Centers For Disease Control/ Judy Schmidt
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