Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The U.S. appears headed for its worst year for whooping cough in more than five decades, with the number of cases rising at an epidemic rate that experts say may reflect a problem with the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Washington state's worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic, seek help from federal experts and urge residents to get vaccinated amid worry that cases of the highly contagious disease could spike much higher.
Washington state's worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic, seek help from federal specialists and urge residents to get vaccinated amid worry that cases of the highly contagious disease could spike much higher.
A rising number of parents in more than half of states are opting out of school shots for their kids. And in eight states, more than 1 in 20 public school kindergartners do not get all the vaccines required for attendance, an Associated Press analysis found.
A charity for at-risk children founded by a former Penn State assistant football coach now charged with molesting boys is telling its donors to give their money to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape instead.
"My biggest concern is for the babies. They're the ones who get hit the hardest," said Mary Selecky, chief of the health department in Washington, one of the states with the biggest outbreaks.
Ms. Selecky said this is the first time in her 13 years in the post she has declared a state epidemic, but she thought she needed to take action to stop the disease from spreading further.
