Snohomish County raises alarm on whooping cough; free clinics on Saturday | Health

Tonya Lively wants to wipe out the kind of suffering a person who has whooping cough deals with.
"I really just want everybody to be aware and be educated and be vaccinated."
The Everett Clinic medical assistant encourages every healthy adult and child to get the T-DAP vaccine to prevent whooping cough.
"Every shot that I give is a memory and an honor to Kaliah," she said while working in Mukilteo.

Tonya's great niece, Kaliah, was the only person in Snohomish County to die from the illness last year. The 6 week old was too young to get the vaccine.
In 2011, Snohomish County saw nearly 9 times more cases than the year before. Pierce County noticed a spike in the summer. King County reported 97 cases last year and already has 25 for the month of January. Whatcom County started to see a spike in October.
Dr. Gary Goldbaum, Director of Snohomish County Health has declared an epidemic of whooping cough. He’s sounding the alarm in a letter to the editor.

"If we're really to make a difference, we've got to get the message out to every person in the community,” he said. "Listen, we can stop this, but only if we work together."
Tonya believes the disease can be fought, one shot at a time, and with each shot, Tonya thinks of Kaliah.
"My niece lost her battle with Pertussis last year," she quietly told Nikkole Swanson, who came into the Everett Clinic for the TDAP vaccine.  "So thank you for getting your vaccine today."
Tonya will be among several volunteers and workers taking part in one of two "Stop Whooping Cough" clinics in Snohomish County this Saturday February 4. They will be at:

• Snohomish County Health District, 3020 Rucker Avenue, Everett
• Sea Mar Community Health Center, 9710 State Avenue, Marysville

Walk-in slots will be available, but making an appointment first is recommended. Call between 10am and 2pm (425) 388-5088. More information is also at www.snohd.org
Adults and pregnant women in their third trimester are encouraged to attend the clinic.