HEALTH: Two new whooping cough cases detected as school year gets started
Two cases of whooping cough were reported at regional schools, bringing the total number of cases to 88 for 2012, according to the county department of Health and Human Services.
A 13-year-old who attends Carmel Valley Middle School and an 8-year-old at Cook Elementary School in Chula Vista were both diagnosed with pertussis, a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes violent coughing fits.
While 88 cases is higher than the number observed countywide in 2007 and 2008, it is much lower than the number in the past two years.
In 2010, the disease reached epidemic proportions in the region, with 1,179 cases reported, the most since 1955. In 2011, the county recorded 400 cases.