State Calls for More Vigilance in Detecting Whooping Cough
California health officials are encouraging health care providers to look for pertussis, or whooping cough, when evaluating infants younger than six months old who have trouble breathing. John Talarico, an immunization official with the state Department of Public Health, said doctors failed to quickly diagnose whooping cough for many of the eight California infants who died as a result of the disease this year.
- "Whooping Cough Diagnoses Lagged in Eight California Deaths, Analysis Shows" (Lin, Los Angeles Times, 9/7).
- "Doctors Told To Think Whooping Cough First in Diagnosing Kids' Symptoms" (Lavelle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9/7).