INLAND EMPIRE – (INT) – A San Bernardino County infant has become California’s first whooping cough fatality in two years.

Health officials did not disclose when or where the death occurred, but stressed the importance of immunizations.

Each year, 50-200 California infants are hospitalized with pertussis. CDPH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that expectant mothers receive the whooping cough booster shot (also called Tdap, or tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine) even if previously immunized. Getting immunized during pregnancy boosts a mother’s immunity and passes on protective antibodies directly to their babies before birth, the CDC said.

Story Date: July 22, 2018