Mariposa County Public Health Officer Dr. Charles Mosher updated the board of supervisors on the continuing spread of whooping cough in Mariposa County, as the state is urging people to get vaccinated. On Tuesday morning, Mosher said that another confirmed case of the disease has been reported locally, bringing the total to five.

Mosher said that two of the five cases are secondary, meaning they were exposed to the disease by one of the other infected persons. The health department is working to find some 121 people that may have been exposed.

“The goal is to try to stop that spread by giving them antibiotics,” Mosher told the board. He said that some people couldn’t afford the medication, so the health department provided it to them for free.

State health officials have urged more Californians to get vaccinated for whooping cough, as the disease grew to epidemic proportions. Mosher said the vaccine is now available to everyone, including those over age 64. There is no shortage of the vaccination, and it is available at the health department.

To date, about 1,500 people in California have become infected with pertussis -- a fivefold increase from the same time last year. Six infants, all under three months old, have died from the disease, and one additional case is under investigation by the California Department of Public Health.

"We are facing what could be the worst year for pertussis that this state has seen in more than 50 years," said Dr. Gilberto Chavez, the agency's chief of the state's Center for Infectious Diseases.

Mosher said that although Mariposa County’s numbers are small, the infection rate remains higher than state average based on population.