Canada Global(Web News)According to provincial data, there is a large difference in vaccination rates for whooping cough between rural and urban communities.
Seventeen cases of whooping cough have been confirmed in the Okotoks area since November, with
22 more cases identified in other parts of the Calgary zone during the same period, bringing the total number of cases to 39.
So far this year, 120 laboratory-confirmed cases have been detected in the province.
Currently, the pertussis vaccine is free for children. Remember that the pertussis vaccine also protects against tetanus and diphtheria.
The AHS says 86 percent of outbreak- and non-outbreak-related cases were among patients who were not vaccinated. The
latest data from Alberta Vaccination shows that 70.73 percent of children received the pertussis vaccine by age 2. The fourth dose of
Calgary had the highest rate at 80 percent.
