California's Department of Public Health (CDPH) declared on Friday that pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, has reached epidemic levels in the state.

In less than 6 months, the CPDH has already recorded 3,458 cases of whooping cough with about 800 of those cases reported in the past 2 weeks alone, compared to last year's 2,530 pertussis cases.

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Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that mostly affects infants and children aged 10 to 17; it is most deadly to young infants.

As of June 10, two infant deaths have been reported.

CPDH director Dr. Ron Chapman said prevention is key and encouraged parents to have their babies vaccinated, which is the best defense against the potentially deadly disease.

"Preventing severe disease and death in infants is our highest priority," Chapman said. "We urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated. We also urge parents to vaccinate infants as soon as possible."

The Tdap vaccine, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria, can be administered to infants as early as 6 weeks of age. Chapman also advised pregnant women to get the Tdap vaccine in the third trimester of every pregnancy to ensure that pertussis antibodies will be transferred to the babies until they are old enough to get vaccinated.

Likewise, people who are expected to be around infants and newborns are advised to get the vaccine as well.

Based on CDPH recommendations, adults, pre-adolescents and older children are also encouraged to get the vaccine.

It should be noted, however, that "neither vaccine nor illness from pertussis offers lifetime immunity," Dr. Chapman said.

Symptoms of the illness vary by age but are deemed initially mild, developing into coughing fits, hence the "whoop" sound produced by sick infants when they inhale air after coughing. For children, it starts with a cough and runny nose for about 1 to 2 weeks. For infants, typical symptoms may not show although parents may notice the baby's face to turn red or purple during an episode. Symptoms for adults may manifest simply through a cough that may last for a few weeks.

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