Newly Released Numbers Show Rise in Whooping Cough in Washington

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SEATTLE (AP) — Health officials say whooping cough is on the rise in Washington state.

KING TV reports (http://kng5.tv/1Q6YEjt ) that newly released numbers show that there were more than five times as many cases so far this than during the same period in 2014.

There have been 600 cases 2015. A year ago there were 120 cases.



Eighty percent of the patients this year are children. Pediatrician Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson said the increase in cases could be due to a change in the vaccine.

A new state and federal study shows only a third of children who got the newer shot were still protected against whooping cough two to four years after receiving a booster injection.

Infants are the major concern. Swanson says pregnant women should get a booster injection in their third trimester to pass the immunity on to the baby.