Pertussis Expert at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Available for Media Interviews

CDC reports major spike of cases in the U.S.

For Release: August 02, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. — The Centers for Disease Control has reported that the U.S. is on track to have a worst-in-six-decades year for pertussis, or whooping cough, with more than 18,000 cases reported so far in 2012.

Physician-researcher Yvonne Maldonado, MD, chief of pediatric infectious disease at Packard Children’s and professor at the Stanford School of Medicine, is available to media for interviews and expert comment about this highly contagious respiratory disease. Dr. Maldonado can discuss with reporters:

  • The importance of immunization and booster shots
  • Warning signs, and the danger to babies
  • Recommendations for pregnant moms
  • Why California has few whooping cough cases in spite of the nationwide epidemic
  • Travel tips

Dr. Maldonado is internationally known for her research on infectious diseases that affect children, including measles, polio and HIV. In addition to Dr. Maldonado’s commentary, the California Department of Public Health offers a pertussis resource page for the public at https://archive.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/pages/pertussis.aspx.

Authors

Robert Dicks
650-497-8364
rdicks@stanfordchildrens.org

About Stanford Medicine Children's Health

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford at its center, is the Bay Area’s largest health care system exclusively dedicated to children and expectant mothers. Our network of care includes more than 65 locations across Northern California and more than 85 locations in the U.S. Western region. Along with Stanford Health Care and the Stanford School of Medicine, we are part of Stanford Medicine, an ecosystem harnessing the potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education, and clinical care to improve health outcomes around the world. We are a nonprofit organization committed to supporting the community through meaningful outreach programs and services and providing necessary medical care to families, regardless of their ability to pay. Discover more at stanfordchildrens.org.