Originally Posted by
AZ Jane
I know this is going to sound tacky and heartless, but how many of those cases were from another country where immunizations are not common and how many were from parents who were afraid of the vacines??
Originally Posted by
auniqueview 
In the 1940s, the pertussis vaccine, combined with
diphtheria and
tetanus toxoids (DTP), was introduced. By 1976, the incidence of whooping cough in the
U.S. had decreased by over 99%. During the 1980s, however, the incidence of whooping cough began to increase and has risen steadily, with epidemics typically occurring every three to five years in the
U.S. In the epidemic of 2005, 25,616 cases were reported according to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). In 2008, over 13,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in the
U.S., resulting in 18 deaths. In 2010, which included an epidemic in
California (see below), 27,550 cases of pertussis were reported
nationwide.
In 2010, a pertussis epidemic was declared in
California. This outbreak included 9,143 cases of pertussis (including 10 infant deaths) throughout
California. This was the highest number of cases reported in an outbreak since 1947. In the previous epidemic of 2005,
California recorded 3,182 cases and eight deaths.
You might want to reread this. I made the important parts, like country and state, a little easier to see. I have no idea how other countries were affected within the same time period.