For more information send us an email or phone 1-866-358-2966.
Our goal is to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases by improving vaccine coverage for all San Diegans. Our tools are disease investigation/control, education, community collaboration, assessment, school law and the San Diego Immunization Registry.
Pertussis Update:
Celebrate A Healthy Holiday Season
Immunizations Are The Best Defense Against Pertussis
Two more students at San Diego County schools were diagnosed with whooping cough bringing the total number of cases to 414 for the region to date, County Health and Human Services Agency officials said (December 14).
In 2010, a record 1,144 cases were reported in San Diego County, including two infant deaths. See second page for details about the new cases.
“This holiday season will bring families and friends together. The best gift we can wish for is our health,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. “Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a vaccine-preventable disease. Parents can ensure their children and pre-teens get their scheduled immunizations to protect them from this highly contagious disease.”
Parents can obtain the vaccine series and the Tdap booster shot for their children through their primary care physicians. Students who are not covered by a medical insurance plan can get the shot from a local retail pharmacy for a fee, or from a County Public Health center.
A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.
For more information about whooping cough and ongoing vaccination clinics, call the HHSA Immunization Branch at (866) 358-2966, or visit www.sdiz.org.
Copy of release available here.
To learn more, visit:
San Diego Immunization Branch
State of California Department of Public Health Immunization Branch
www.ShotsForSchool.org
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pertussis Information
and see Additional Links and Resources section below.
Services offered by Immunization Branch:
San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website
The San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website is supported by the San Diego County Immunization Coalition (SDCIC).
SDCIC, with the County of San Diego Immunization Branch as the lead agency, is a coalition of 150 partner organizations working collaboratively to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases by raising immunization coverage for county children, adolescents and adults. This website contains a wealth of immunization information and can be accessed here: www.sdiz.org.
Foreign Travel Immunization Information
The Immunization Branch does not provide the vaccines needed for travel, but provides information about the vaccines and other protective measures that may be required or recommended for travel outside the United States.
For more information, including the locations of local physicians and clinics who give travel immunizations and medications, please visit the San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website Travel Immunization page here.
For general travelers' health information, persons may visit the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
San Diego Regional Immunization Registry
The San Diego Regional Immunization Registry (SDIR) is a collaborative effort of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Services Immunization Branch and other public and private health care providers, schools, child care providers and other county programs. The Registry provides an electronic record of all immunizations given to an individual by participating providers in both the public and private sectors. It is a secure web-based tool that helps doctors with their immunization practice management. The Registry increases patient satisfaction by decreasing unnecessary immunizations and decreases vaccine preventable diseases by identifying shots that are needed.
For more information, including a complete description of SDIR functions, features and technical requirements, go to http://www.sdiz.org/CAIR-SDIR/index.html to be redirected to the San Diego County Immunization Coalition Website.
Additional Immunization Links and Resources
For more information about immunizations, the diseases they protect against and related subjects please see the following links and resources:
National Resources
State and Local Resources
Links to General Vaccine Information
Links to Adult Vaccine Information
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness
Travel Vaccines
For more information send us an email or phone 1-866-358-2966.
