Whooping cough has been a problem for Yakima county for many years. Each year officials from the Yakima County Department of Health have recorded an average of 25 cases every year. This year is an unusual year for Yakima County and the state. So far more than 80 cases have been reported in this county this year and thousands have been reported across the state. The Washington State Board of Health will hear a status report about whooping cough when it meets Wednesday, June 13 in Tumwater. More than 2,000 people are reported to have whooping cough this year in Washington, compared to 164 reported during the same period in 2011. The outbreak prompted Secretary of Health Mary Selecky to declare a statewide epidemic.

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