Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen gives a whooping cough vaccine on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 in Barre, Vt. (AP Photo)-
Thousands of bridges around the U.S. may be one freak accident or mistake away from collapse, even if the spans are deemed structurally sound.more>> Thousands of bridges around the U.S. may be one freak accident or mistake away from collapse, even if the spans are deemed structurally sound.more>> The crash of a volunteer Angel Flight in upstate New York that killed at least two people is under investigation, and the search for the missing pilot is ongoing, authorities said.more>> Divers searched a large pond while investigators combed nearby woods Saturday for any sign of the pilot of a volunteer Angel Flight that crashed in upstate New York, killing two passengers.more>> It seems the impossible has occurred: The nation's most congested city has become a model for traffic control.more>> It seems that the impossible has occurred: The nation's most congested city has become a model for traffic control.more>> They say you should never make a big decision when you're emotional. But what if there's barely a moment to think and a life-or-death choice looming?more>> They say you should never make a big decision when you're emotional. But what if there's barely a moment to think and a life-or-death choice looming?more>> One evening last Labor Day weekend, 15-year-old Audrie Pott headed to a friend's house. Unbeknownst to their parents, the girls planned to party.more>> One evening last Labor Day weekend, 15-year-old Audrie Pott walked up the driveway of a classmate's home alongside other teenagers. She'd told her parents she was spending the night with a friend. The friend claimed...more>> A federal judge has ruled that the office of America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, marking the first finding by a court that the...more>> A federal judge has ruled that the office of America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, marking the first finding by a court that the agency...more>> Washington state officials are scrambling to find a temporary fix for a bridge that collapsed on an important interstate highway and, incredibly, left just three motorists with injuries. Whatever the solution, it...more>> Washington state officials are scrambling to find a temporary fix for a bridge that collapsed on an important interstate highway and, incredibly, left just three motorists with injuries. Whatever the solution, it won't...more>> Pioneering Washington journalist Haynes Johnson, who helped redefine political reporting, has died at age 81.more>> When Haynes Johnson visited Selma, Ala., months after a civil rights crisis there gripped the nation, he wrote in The Washington Evening Star that he'd found "no discernible change in the racial climate of the city."...more>> Haynes Johnson, a pioneering Washington journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the civil rights movements and migrated from newspapers to television, books and teaching, died Friday. He was 81.more>> Haynes Johnson, a pioneering Washington journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the civil rights movement and migrated from newspapers to television, books and teaching, died Friday. He was 81.more>> A small airplane operating as a volunteer Angel Flight crashed in upstate New York on Friday evening, killing at least two people, authorities said.more>> A small airplane operating as a volunteer Angel Flight crashed in upstate New York on Friday evening, killing at least two people, authorities said.more>>
-
Some Okla. lawmakers are pushing for mandatory safe rooms in schools and new buildings.more>> Some Okla. lawmakers are pushing for mandatory safe rooms in schools and new buildings.more>> 19-year-old Okla. men who took cover in cellar use cellphones to get video of deadly tornadomore>> 19-year-old Okla. men who took cover in cellar use cellphones to get video of deadly tornadomore>> 'The life of the party': 3rd grader who loved to sing among the young Okla. tornado victimsmore>> 'The life of the party': 3rd grader who loved to sing among the young Okla. tornado victimsmore>> Oklahoma tornado ripped through as many as 13,000 homes, damage could top $2 billion; 24 deadmore>> Oklahoma tornado ripped through as many as 13,000 homes, damage could top $2 billion; 24 deadmore>> Oklahoma tornado ripped through as many as 13,000 homes, damage could top $2 billion; 24 deadmore>> Oklahoma tornado ripped through as many as 13,000 homes, damage could top $2 billion; 24 deadmore>> IRS official in targeting probe says she did nothing wrong - then says no more, taking the 5thmore>> IRS official in targeting probe says she did nothing wrong - then says no more, taking the 5thmore>> Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigationmore>> Man shot to death in Fla. while being questioned in Boston Marathon bombing investigationmore>> Former IRS commissioner knew tea party groups targeted in 2012; says he didn't tell anyonemore>> Former IRS commissioner knew tea party groups targeted in 2012; says he didn't tell anyonemore>> Jodi Arias tells jury she can contribute from prison if she's allowed to livemore>> Jodi Arias tells jury she can contribute from prison if she's allowed to livemore>> AP photographer describes rescuers pulling children from tornado-flattened Oklahoma schoolmore>> AP photographer describes rescuers pulling children from tornado-flattened Oklahoma school.more>>
Health officials said 2012 was the nation's worst year for whooping cough in nearly six decades.
About 42,000 cases were reported last year, the most since 1955. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still gathering information, and the number could rise to as much as 50,000.
Whooping cough tends to run in multi-year cycles, and experts say last year appears to have been a peak. Also, a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine doesn't last as long as expected.
The good news: Deaths from the disease were down last year, to 18. Experts think that doctors were faster at diagnosing and treating the disease during outbreaks.
Whooping cough used to be a bigger problem until a vaccine was developed in the 1940s.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
