KING 5 reports that this year there have been more than 600 cases of whooping cough, a huge rise from the 120 cases that were reported this time last year. Doctors are recommending vaccinations, especially for children, who make up 80 percent of the patients with whooping cough.
One pediatrician, Dr. Wendy Swanson, tells KING the rise whooping cough might be related to a change in the vaccine that occurred 20 years ago. Swanson says the more recent formulation might lose effectiveness sooner than the old one. Swanson also recommends that pregnant women receive a booster shot during their third trimester in order to “pass the immunity on to the baby.”
