For more information send us an email or phone 1-866-358-2966.
Our goal is to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases by improving vaccine coverage for all San Diegans. Our tools are disease investigation/control, education, community collaboration, assessment, school law and the San Diego Immunization Registry.
Pertussis Update:
Whooping Cough Still Active In Schools
Immunizations Help Prevent, Lessen Severity of Pertussis
A 6-year-old potentially exposed elementary school students and staff to pertussis at a Coronado preschool and kindergarten program, County Health and Human Services Agency officials reported May 4.
This latest case brings the region’s total of whooping cough cases to 27 for 2012. The child was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Early Childhood Development Center in the Coronado Unified School District.
“The highly contagious respiratory illness can spread easily through the air in close quarters such as schools and other public settings and that’s why we recommend that parents not skip immunizations,” said Eric McDonald, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Public Health Officer. “The number of cases has been reduced significantly compared to the last two years, and that is due in large part to children, teenagers and adults getting immunized.”
No whooping cough deaths were reported in California in 2011, but in 2010 there were 10 deaths in the state, including two infant deaths in San Diego. A record 1,144 cases were reported in the county in 2010, and 436 were reported in 2011.
Parents can obtain the vaccine series and the Tdap booster shot for themselves and their children through their primary care physician. Local retail pharmacies offer vaccinations for a fee, and anyone who is not covered by a medical insurance plan can get the shot from a County Public Health Center at no cost.
A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.
For more information about whooping cough and ongoing vaccination clinics, call the HHSA Immunization Branch at (866) 358-2966, or visit www.sdiz.org.
Copy of release available here.
To learn more, visit:
San Diego Immunization Branch
State of California Department of Public Health Immunization Branch
www.ShotsForSchool.org
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pertussis Information
and see Additional Links and Resources section below.
Services offered by Immunization Branch:
San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website
The San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website is supported by the San Diego County Immunization Coalition (SDCIC).
SDCIC, with the County of San Diego Immunization Branch as the lead agency, is a coalition of 150 partner organizations working collaboratively to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases by raising immunization coverage for county children, adolescents and adults. This website contains a wealth of immunization information and can be accessed here: www.sdiz.org.
Foreign Travel Immunization Information
The Immunization Branch does not provide the vaccines needed for travel, but provides information about the vaccines and other protective measures that may be required or recommended for travel outside the United States.
For more information, including the locations of local physicians and clinics who give travel immunizations and medications, please visit the San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website Travel Immunization page here.
For general travelers' health information, persons may visit the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
San Diego Regional Immunization Registry
The San Diego Regional Immunization Registry (SDIR) is a collaborative effort of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Services Immunization Branch and other public and private health care providers, schools, child care providers and other county programs. The Registry provides an electronic record of all immunizations given to an individual by participating providers in both the public and private sectors. It is a secure web-based tool that helps doctors with their immunization practice management. The Registry increases patient satisfaction by decreasing unnecessary immunizations and decreases vaccine preventable diseases by identifying shots that are needed.
For more information, including a complete description of SDIR functions, features and technical requirements, go to http://www.sdiz.org/CAIR-SDIR/index.html to be redirected to the San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website.
Additional Immunization Links and Resources
For more information about immunizations, the diseases they protect against and related subjects please see the following links and resources:
National Resources
State and Local Resources
Links to General Vaccine Information
Links to Adult Vaccine Information
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness
Travel Vaccines
For more information send us an email or phone 1-866-358-2966.
