Clinical Alert - Pertussis in CA - National Concern

June 25, 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Please review and forward to the

appropriate people on your teams the following message from Dr. Jennie McLaurin

at the Migrant Clinician’s Network. This is a critical issue,

providers, health center staff including outreach workers and promotoras

atMigrant Health Centers need to be informed. Bobbi Ryder

From: Jennie McLaurin

[mailto:jmclaurin@...]

Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 1:03 PM

everybody@...

Subject: FW: Pertussis in CA

Importance: High

For Immediate Attention:

There is a critical outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough) in California:

it is classified now as an epidemic. Five infants, all Latino, have died. This

is due to unrecognized pertussis in older children and adults which then

infects babies before they’ve had a chance to get their shots. PLEASE

spread the word through every mechanism you have that it is critical to get

DTaP in adolescents and adults and to get children immunized properly.

Providers are not recognizing pertussis and MUST keep this in mind with cough

illnesses. Families must not fear immigration to get in for shots, and the

public must understand that pertussis is not brought here by immigrants---it is

local people passing it around to vulnerable populations. Please share any

media resources you have with us so we can all work together! This is a NATIONAL

problem as increases are also being seen in several other states.

We have been talking with people at CDC and have the following

links for your interest. We are working on low literacy methods to assist the

public.

CDC Web Feature

CA Press Release

CA Pertussis Materials (English and Spanish)

Thanks,

Jennie McLaurin, MD MPH and Kate Bero, Program Manager

MCN Immunization Initiative

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