[Vision2020] Whooping Cough Cases in Washington State

[Kenneth Marcy]

"The United States is in the middle of its worst whooping cough (aka 
pertussis) outbreak in over half a century, but few states have been hit 
as hard as Washington. This graph, released just a few days ago by the 
CDC, compares the state's pertussis cases in 2012 against those 
documented in 2011 --- and the difference is downright staggering."

http://io9.com/5928722/this-graph-of-whooping-cough-cases-in-washington-state-should-scare-the-crap-out-of-you 



        *A 1300% Increase*

"The graph plots the number of cases of pertussis by week of onset from 
January 1, 2011 through June 16, 2012. See those relatively short, 
stubby looking grey bars? Those correspond to pertussis cases documented 
in 2011. The gigantic, dark-blue bars? That's what Washington is facing 
today. Between January 1 and June 16 of this year, a total of 2,520 
pertussis cases have been reported. By this time last year, the state 
had seen just 180 cases. /That translates to a mind-boggling 1300% 
increase/.

Put simply: things are very, very bad. In fact, they're even worse than 
state officials predicted they would be. Back in May 
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/04/us-usa-health-pertussis-idUSBRE84307O20120504>, 
Washington's health department spokesman Tim Church warned that the 
state risked ending 2012 with 3,000 pertussis cases if steps were not 
taken to "stem the tide" of infection (3,000 pertussis cases would be 
the highest number Washington has seen /since the 1940s/). Fast forward 
to today, and the 3,000-case threshold seems not just likely, but 
inevitable.

There is a very real chance that Washington's pertussis cases will 
continue to skyrocket in the months to come. Notice how 2011's grey bars 
get taller and taller as the year proceeds; 786 (81%) of Washington's 
966 pertussis cases in 2011 were reported during the second half of the 
year. If the number of cases in 2012 continues along a similar 
trajectory, the results will be nothing short of devastating. (It's 
worth pointing out that the drop in 2012 numbers in recent weeks, 
overlaid in the graph up top by a shaded bar, corresponds to a lag 
during which additional cases likely occurred during 2012, but had not 
yet been reported to Washington's Department of Health)."

<[more content in the article at the link above]>


Ken
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