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Wyoming whooping cough cases quadruple in 2012
AP
In this Dec. 19, 2012 file photo, Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen injects a whooping cough vaccine in Barre, Vt. The nation just suffered its worst year for whooping cough in nearly six decades, according to preliminary government figures released Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. Whooping cough ebbs and flows in multi-year cycles, and experts say 2012 appears to have reached a peak with 41,880 cases. Another factor: A vaccine used since the 90s doesn't last as long as the old one. The vaccine problem may continue to cause higher than normal case counts in the future, said Dr. Tom Clark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)
Posted 1/25/13
CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming saw a four-fold increase in whooping cough cases last year.
Wyoming recorded 59 confirmed cases of whooping cough in 2012, up from 13 a year earlier, according to figures from state Health Department. The state averaged only 16 cases annually between 2007 and 2011.
Nine Wyoming counties did not record a case in 2012. Fremont County had the most with 14.
The increase mirrors a national trend. Most states reported at least double the number of whooping cough cases in 2012.
Whooping cough is a contagious respiratory disease characterized by severe coughing that can last for weeks.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Tracy Murphy tells the Casper Star-Tribune that the increase may be related to the vaccine losing its effectiveness over time but he says vaccination remains the best protection.
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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com