A California law, AB354, requires that all students entering 7th grade be immunized against pertussis and to show proof of immunization prior to entering school.
California is experiencing an increase in the number of reported cases of pertussis (whooping cough). Pertussis is a serious, contagious disease. According to the California Department of Public Health, there has been a seven-fold increase in the number of cases being reported in 2010 compared to 2009.
Children younger than six months of age are the most vulnerable to serious illness if they develop pertussis.
The most effective prevention against pertussis is vaccination. We encourage parents, caregivers, and siblings of newborns, as well as healthcare workers to become immunized against pertussis.
Get more information about this preventable disease below.
