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California pertussis epidemic cases reach near 70-year high
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There have been 9,935 reported cases of pertussis within the current epidemic in California, representing the state’s greatest number of reported cases in nearly 70 years, according to an MMWR report.
The California Department of Public Health announced a pertussis epidemic was occurring in June, when reported incidence was more than five times greater than baseline levels, according to department study investigator Kathleen Winter, MPH, and colleagues.
The last pertussis epidemic in California occurred in 2010, with approximately 9,000 reported cases and an incidence of 24.6 cases per 100,000 population, according to researchers.
As of Nov. 26, statewide pertussis incidence was 26 cases per 100,000 population.
Among infants aged younger than 12 months, disease incidence was 174.6 cases per 100,000 population. Incidence was significantly higher in Hispanic infants (RR=1.7; 95% CI, 1.5-2.1) and lower among Asian/Pacific Islander infants (RR=0.4; 95% CI, 0.3-0.6) compared with white, non-Hispanic infants.
Of the 347 infants hospitalized with pertussis, 24% of those with known vaccine histories received any dose of DTaP.
Children aged 15 years had a disease incidence rate of 137.8 cases per 100,000, and there were 2,006 pertussis cases among adolescents aged 14 to 16 years. Eighty-three percent of adolescents had known vaccine histories and of these, 2.2% reported never receiving any doses of pertussis-containing vaccine.
The California Department of Health is working with local health departments to implement public health activities, with the intention of preventing severe pertussis commonly associated with infants, according to the report.
“All prenatal care providers are being encouraged to provide Tdap to pregnant women during each pregnancy, ideally at 27 to 36 weeks’ gestation, as is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or refer patients to an alternative provider, such as a pharmacy or local public health department, to receive Tdap,” Winter and colleagues wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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