Whooping Cough

Aug 9 2012

Shot required before starting school on Aug. 14

Los Angeles Unified School District students entering, advancing or transferring into seventh-grade during the 2012-2013 school year will need proof of a whooping cough (also known as pertussis) booster immunization, known as Tdap, beginning Aug. 14, the first day of school.

Students who have not received the shot will not be able to attend classes.

Jul 28 2011

Celebration aimed to help Black families live better

The Black Family Celebration sponsored by the American Heart Association attracted dozens of families to find out about health issues like heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer in Los Angeles and claims the lives of more African Americans than all cancers combined. Among the information parents need to know is that before they can start their child in school this year, the youngster must get a whooping cough vaccination and proof must be presented upon registration.

Apr 25 2011

Stay Healthy. Vaccinate.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Los Angeles County health officials today began a multimedia public education effort aimed at urging parents to get their children—and everyone in the family—vaccinated.

"Vaccines save thousands of lives each year and are the best way to protect your children and the community against serious diseases such as influenza, measles, polio, and whooping cough,'' county health director Dr. Jonathan Fielding said. "Choosing not to vaccinate your children can have serious consequences."

Sep 7 2010

Doctors typically fail to make an accurate diagnosis

LOS ANGELES - An analysis of all eight cases of California infants who died from whooping cough this year has found that doctors typically failed to make a swift, accurate diagnosis, despite patients' multiple visits to clinics and hospitals, it was reported.

"In several cases ... the infants were treated only for nasal congestion or mild upper respiratory infection,'' Dr. John Talarico, an immunization official with the California Department of Public Health, wrote in a recent letter to healthcare providers statewide, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”