Officials report first confirmed whooping cough death in California baby since 2016

The California Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that pertussis, also known as whooping cough, claimed the life of a San Bernardino County infant.

This is the first confirmed infant death from the disease since 2016, when two deaths occurred.

“This baby’s death is a tragedy for the family and for California as a community, as this is a preventable disease,” said Dr. Karen Smith, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “This serves as a grim reminder that whooping cough is always present in our communities, and immunizations are the first line of defense.”

The CDPH said each year, 50-200 California infants are hospitalized with whooping cough.

Mothers are encouraged to receive whooping cough booster shots (also known as Tdap) as early as 27 and 36 weeks of every pregnancy. Health officials said this helps newborns until they are old enough to begin receiving their own whooping cough immunizations at 6 to 8 weeks of age.

“No baby should have to be hospitalized due to a vaccine-preventable disease, and certainly no baby should die,” said Dr. Smith. “To give babies the best protection, I urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated against whooping cough as early as possible during the third trimester of every pregnancy.”

To avoid the spread of whooping cough, CDPH also recommends that:
– Parents immunize their babies against whooping cough as soon as possible. The first dose is recommended at two months of age, but can be given as early as six weeks of age.
– California 7th grade students receive the whooping cough booster, Tdap.
– Adults receive a whooping cough booster once in their lives.

Symptoms of whooping cough vary by age.

For children, whooping cough typically starts with a runny nose and cough for one to two weeks. The cough can worsen and often results in rapid coughing spells that end with a whooping sound.

Infants may not have typical whooping cough symptoms and may have no apparent cough.

For adults, whooping cough may be a cough illness that lasts for several weeks.

To reach your local health department about low or no-cost location where Tdap immunizations are covered, click HERE.

More information about pertussis is available on CDPH’s website.