Formed in the fall of 2008, the San Francisco Immunization Coalition - Pertussis Task Force is a group of physicians, public health officials, health care workers, child care providers, and community members charged with preventing the spread of pertussis in the Bay Area through institutional education and system change.

Over the past decade, the incidence of pertussis (whooping cough) has been steadily increasing in the United States.  California has one of the highest rates of pertussis in the country. Twenty-four deaths have been attributed to pertussis since 2001 in California all of which occurred in infants less than 2 months old. Infants are almost always infected through contact with an infected adolescent or adult, who likely had their last pertussis vaccination in early childhood. This disease and these deaths are preventable.

The Pertussis Task Force has three main objectives to help decrease pertussis infection and protect those who are most vulnerable to the disease and its complications:

1. Make sure that all new mothers receive a Tdap vaccination before leaving the birthing hospital with their newborn. In addition, educate and recommend that potential contacts with the newborn (fathers, siblings, grandparents, caregivers, etc.) are also vaccinated.

2. Educate hospital employees about pertussis and offer Tdap vaccine to all employees to prevent health care workers from spreading the disease to patients.

3. Ensure Emergency Rooms have and administer Tdap vaccine in replacement of Td for patients over 11 years old requiring a tetanus vaccine for wound treatment.

Participation on the Task Force is open to community members, health care workers, administrators, and anyone concerned about the spread of pertussis in the Bay Area.

NEW: Healthcare Workers Must be offered Tdap Immunization as Part of new CAL OSHA Standards for Aerosol Transmissable Disease

NEXT MEETING
Thursday, March 25 12-1:30 p.m