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"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."<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://io9.com/5928722/this-graph-of-whooping-cough-cases-in-washington-state-should-scare-the-crap-out-of-you">http://io9.com/5928722/this-graph-of-whooping-cough-cases-in-washington-state-should-scare-the-crap-out-of-you</a>
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<h4><strong>A 1300% Increase</strong></h4>
<p>"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. <em>That translates to a mind-boggling 1300% increase</em>.</p>
<p>Put simply: things are very, very bad. In fact, they're even
worse than state officials predicted they would be. <a
href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/04/us-usa-health-pertussis-idUSBRE84307O20120504">Back
in May</a>, 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 <em>since the 1940s</em>). Fast forward to today, and the
3,000-case threshold seems not just likely, but inevitable.</p>
<p>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)."<br>
</p>
<p><[more content in the article at the link above]><br>
</p>
<br>
Ken<br>
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