ST. GEORGE -- An outbreak of whooping cough in the polygamist twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., has health officials in the two states concerned about the lack of immunization.
The Southwest Utah Public Health Department recorded 389 confirmed and probable cases this winter in Hildale.Susan Baum, epidemic intelligence service officer at the Arizona Department of Health Services in Phoenix, said another 310 probable and confirmed cases occurred among Colorado City residents.
While the Utah agent has not received any new cases from Hildale for about six weeks, the Arizona Health Department said the outbreak in Colorado City remains a concern.
Pertussis, a contagious, bacterial respiratory disease, can be prevented by giving a series of shots to children. The vaccine is normally given at 2, 4, 6 and 15 months of age, and again when the child enters school.
Effectiveness of the pertussis shot begins to fade after the age of 10, making adults and teenagers more susceptible to the disease.
Since Utah does not mandate that children be immunized to attend school, many children in the state do not receive their shots and remain vulnerable to viruses and diseases.