Posted: December 14, 2005 at 2:56 p.m.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- About three times as many whooping cough cases have been reported in California this year as in 2004, according to the state Department of Health Services.
The state tallied 2,169 cases and seven infant deaths through November.
The number of cases was the highest in 30 years.
Nationally, whooping cough cases rose sharply starting in the 1990s. The 25,827 cases reported last year were the highest total since 1959, but didn't come close to the 265,000 cases in 1934, which was the peak before vaccinations became routine.
Health officials attributed the increase largely to adults and teenagers contracting the illness after immunity from childhood vaccinations wore off.
The disease causes severe coughing, accompanied by "whooping" gasps for air, that can last for months. It spreads through coughs and sneezes.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)