Orange County baby dies of whooping cough

A baby in Orange County died of whooping cough, the first confirmed death of the disease in infants since 2018, health authorities said Thursday.

The California Department of Public Health has not provided any additional information about the circumstances surrounding the child's death.

The CRPD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that pregnant women be given booster shots for whooping cough between 27 and 36 weeks, even if they had already been immunized.

"To give babies the best possible protection, I urge all pregnant women to be vaccinated against whooping cough as early as possible in the third trimester of each pregnancy," said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the CRPD and responsible for public health. "The best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated."

The symptoms of whooping cough vary according to age, according to the CRPD. In children, the disease usually begins with runny nose and cough for one to two weeks. The cough then worsens and often results in quick coughing fits that end in a whooping cough. Infants may not show typical symptoms or have an apparent cough. Parents may notice episodes in which breathing stops briefly and the infant's face turns red or purple. Pertussis in adults can be a cough that lasts for several weeks.

To learn more about whooping cough, go to cdph.ca.gov/Programs.