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Pasadena resident tests positive for whooping cough after visiting children's museum

Pasadena resident tests positive for whooping cough after visiting children's museum

Yahoo02-05-2025

A Pasadena resident has tested positive for whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness that can be lethal in infants, after visiting the Kidspace Children's Museum last week, authorities said.
The Pasadena Public Health Department announced the infection on Thursday as whooping cough cases continue to rise across the United States. There have been more than 8,470 cases reported nationally in 2025, which is about double the cases reported in the same time period last year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more: Highly contagious whooping cough rises in California to highest level in years
Health officials warned anyone who visited Kidspace from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 25 to monitor their household, and especially children, for symptoms such as a runny nose, a low-grade fever and difficulty breathing.
Anyone feeling ill after visiting the museum during this window is urged to visit their healthcare provider and avoid contact with babies and pregnant women. Infections can be confirmed with a nasal swab.
High-risk individuals, such as infants younger than 1 and pregnant women, may need preventive antibiotics even if they are not showing symptoms, health officials said.
Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which attack the upper respiratory system and can cause airways to swell, according to the CDC.
Symptoms typically begin five days to three weeks after exposure with a mild cold and a fever of less than 100.4 degrees. In severe cases, symptoms will progress to coughing fits that cause gasping or whooping sounds and vomiting. Infants may not display the telltale whooping cough, but turn blue, red or gag due to difficulty breathing.
California whooping cough cases more than quadrupled last year — from 644 in 2023 to 2,753 in 2024, according to the state health department. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a 5-year-old in Washington have died from the illness.
Read more: Measles exposure at LAX amid growing cases across U.S. How to protect yourself
There are vaccines for whooping cough. As early as 2 months old, babies get the first in a series of DTaP shots, which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus. The vaccine is administered again at 4 months, 6 months and then again at 15 to 18 months and when the child is between 4 and 6 years old.
The vaccine series is part of school-entry immunization requirements in all 50 states, and a booster shot is recommended for pregnant women.
Experts attribute the uptick in infections to decreasing vaccination rates. Last year, the share of children with exemptions to school-entry vaccinations across the country hit an all-time high of 3.3%, according to the CDC.
'There's unfortunately been increasing anti-vaccine sentiment in the United States,' Dr. Ericka Hayes, who works at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Associated Press. 'Our recovery is not nearly as quick as we expected it to be and we needed it to be. And again, when you fall below 95% for vaccinations, you lose that herd immunity protection.'
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Trump's First Surgeon General: RFK Jr. Purging the CDC Advisory Committee Will Put Lives at Risk
Trump's First Surgeon General: RFK Jr. Purging the CDC Advisory Committee Will Put Lives at Risk

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Trump's First Surgeon General: RFK Jr. Purging the CDC Advisory Committee Will Put Lives at Risk

When Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began his tenure as Health and Human Services Secretary, he pledged, 'We won't take away anyone's vaccines.' However, recent policy changes under his leadership—coupled with the unprecedented dismissal of all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on June 9—have proven that statement false, raising grave concerns for our nation's COVID-19 response and broader vaccine policies. These shifts not only jeopardize public health but also threaten to erode trust in our health institutions at a critical time. In May 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced a new COVID-19 vaccine framework, limiting access to updated vaccines for Americans aged 65 and older or those with specific risk factors. 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Unlike other countries with centralized systems for identifying at-risk individuals, the U.S. expects patients—many of whom lack easy access to healthcare—to navigate eligibility alone. Risk assessment should also consider individual circumstances beyond underlying health conditions. A 58-year-old bus driver or healthcare worker faces significantly greater exposure than someone working remotely. By limiting vaccines to specific groups based solely on preexisting health status, the policy overlooks these critical contextual differences. Secretary Kennedy's team argues that there is insufficient evidence to support updated COVID-19 vaccines for healthy Americans under 65, but this claim is flatly unfounded. Years of real-world data demonstrate that vaccines save lives and reduce hospitalizations across all age groups. During the 2023 to 2024 fall and winter season, 95% of those hospitalized for COVID had not received an updated vaccine. While the administration cites other countries' more restrictive vaccine policies, such comparisons ignore the unique health landscape in the U.S., which includes higher obesity rates, worse maternal health outcomes, and uneven healthcare access. The policy also neglects the issue of Long COVID, which affects millions with debilitating symptoms lasting months or years. Though older adults are at higher risk for severe acute infections, Long COVID disproportionately impacts adults aged 35 to 49—and children are also affected. Vaccination reduces the risk of developing Long COVID, an essential reason many healthy individuals choose to stay up-to-date with their vaccines. Particularly concerning is the decision to end COVID vaccine recommendations for 'healthy' pregnant women, which contradicts the FDA's own guidance. Pregnant women face heightened risks of severe COVID outcomes, including death, pre-eclampsia, and miscarriage. 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We must seize this opportunity to unite around science and ensure a healthier, safer, and prosperous future for all Americans.

It Sure Seems Like One Key GOP Vote Regrets Appointing RFK Jr.
It Sure Seems Like One Key GOP Vote Regrets Appointing RFK Jr.

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