[Cccnfbw] free whooping cough vaccine

[goldbeckjm at comcast.net]

Public Service Announcement for C-TRAN Riders Regarding Whooping Cough 




KAISER PERMANENTE PARTNERS WITH CLARK COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH 
TO VACCINATE AGAINST WHOOPING COUGH 
Free vaccinations offered to uninsured and underinsured at Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park Medical Office, Thursday and Friday evenings in June. 

(June 4, 2012 - VANCOUVER) Clark County has experienced an alarming increase in whooping cough (pertussis), with nearly 140 confirmed cases reported since January 1, 2012. Only 23 cases were reported at this time last year. The Washington Department of Health has declared a whooping cough epidemic in the state, with more than 1,500 reported cases. Whooping cough spreads easily through coughing and can cause life threatening illness in infants under 6 months old. 

In a coordinated effort to contain the spread of the disease, Clark County Public Health is partnering with Kaiser Permanente Northwest to provide free vaccinations against whooping cough for uninsured or underinsured children and adults. Vaccination clinics will be held each Thursday and Friday in June from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park Medical Office, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. There also will be a Saturday clinic, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 16. 

"We are especially concerned about babies because they are just beginning their immunization series," said Diana Antoniskis, MD, a Kaiser Permanente infectious disease specialist. "Babies most often catch whooping cough from a family member or caregiver, and the infection can be life-threatening. It's essential that parents, teachers, health care workers, and others who are in close contact with infants get vaccinated." All adults and teens should receive the adult booster shot, called Tdap, if they have not already received one.  

"The uninsured are at particular risk of infection because many are not adequately vaccinated against whooping cough and other infectious diseases," said Alan Melnick, MD, health officer for Clark County Public Health. "We are pleased that Kaiser Permanente has joined our efforts to protect this vulnerable population and reduce the spread of whooping cough in the community." 

Pertussis is commonly known as whooping cough because of the "whooping" sound those with the illness make while gasping for air after a coughing fit. This highly contagious bacterial disease starts with cold-like symptoms but often leads to severe coughing that can last for weeks. In rare cases, it can be fatal. Until vaccinations became widespread in the 1940s, whooping cough caused thousands of deaths each year in the United States.
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