Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has reached epidemic proportions in the state, and Mariposa County isn’t immune. At Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting, Public Health Officer Dr. Charles Mosher brought the supervisors up to speed on the health department’s efforts to halt the spread of the disease.

Mosher said his department discovered the first authentic case in late June, and that number had grown to 10 confirmed cases a week ago. He noted that pertussis has been the cause of seven infant deaths statewide so far during this outbreak.

Mosher said his staff of nurses have been overloaded trying to reach individuals who had come in contact with contagious parties. The first known case went to work in Yosemite National Park, and was in direct contact with at least 75 other people.

“If we can get antibiotics to people early enough, we can halt the advance of the disease,” Mosher said.

Therein lies the challenge. Each contagious individual has contact with any number of other people, and the health department staff is charged with tracking down the people in that contact circle to deliver its antibiotic program.

Mosher said that California usually averages one case per 100,000 people in a standard “outbreak.” But, the current level of spread has reached five cases per 100,000 residents, thus creating an infection rate that has been declared an epidemic.

“We’re not the highest, but we’re fairly high, considering the size of our county,” Mosher said. He added that the highest concentration of the disease has been in the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Mosher said his department has two main goals: reventing any infant deaths in the county, and preventing an outbreak in Mariposa schools. Local schools begin classes on Aug. 24.

He said all physicians and clinics within the county, along with pre-schools and multiple other agencies have been contacted. The health department is urging all residents to have booster shots, which in many other states are required at the middle school age level.

“Because California doesn’t have this requirement, like many other states, we have a less immunized population,” Mosher said.

He explained that Superintendent of Schools Aaron Rosander sent a phone message to all student households recently, and the school district is preparing informational packets to be distributed in the near future.

Board Chairman Kevin Cann congratulated Mosher for his leadership and his department’s proactive approach to the issue. Supervisor Lyle Turpin urged Mosher’s staff to contact area churches. “Almost every single church in the county has a nursery, and I might suggest they are contacted,” Turpin offered. Mosher agreed.

The health department is providing immunization shots in its office in Mariposa every Friday by appointment. It also offers that service each Tuesday on various hourly schedules. That information is available by calling the health department at 966-3689.

Mosher also mentioned in his board presentation that individuals who had been contacted by his staff to seek antibiotics who didn’t have the financial means to obtain the drugs were assisted by the health department.