9 dead in California from Whooping Cough

Calif. whooping cough: 9 dead, infections on rise
To read full yahoo news article click on "Calif. whooping cough" above.
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The state is on track to exceed the record 4,949 cases reported in 1955. The bacterial infection tends to peak during summer months, but infections could continue into coming weeks, said Chavez. end quote.

I had whooping cough in 1950 my son had whooping cough in 1976. I made sure the rest of my children had the:

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination

One way to eliminate the possibility of getting this disease is to not be exposed to it. The other way is to get the pertussis vaccination. In Japan they wait until the child is at least 2 years old to give this shot I'm told because of possible complications. However, most children who die of this die between ages 2 to 3 years of age because their lungs aren't developed enough to survive it.

When I had it I would cough until I turned blue from lack of oxygen and then pass out. What I learned is that for me, at least I had to give into the coughing or die. For me, what almost killed me is fighting the cough the way many children do. When I just gave up I survived. Of course this will be different for everyone because of different immune systems and different personalities and strategies for fighting off diseases. However, I personally remember surviving because I stopped fighting and eventually got better after I gave up and expected to die as a 2 year old. This is what I remember about it at age 2.