Whooping Cough Epidemic Nearing California’s Worst in 55 Years

Whooping cough has killed nine babies and sickened more than 4,000 in California, putting it on track to be the state's worst outbreak of the disease in 55 years, state health officials told the media Saturday.

Nationwide, more than 11,000 cases of whooping cough have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though that number may be higher due to a delay in reporting cases on a national scale. Cases of whooping cough in the United States were last updated on Sept. 14, according to the CDC.

The respiratory illness that mostly affects children is being invigorated by a wave of opposition against vaccinations due to parental fears that they could cause autism, Dr. Mark Sawyer, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at University of California-San Diego, told the AP.

But scientists have reiterated that there is no connection between autism and thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, and a federal ruling in March said the same.

In California, all of the infants who died of whooping cough were too young to be fully immunized, so doctors urged parents and guardians to get their children booster shots.