State makes whooping cough vaccine available for those who can’t pay
Jun 6, 2012, 8:03 AM | Updated: 2:03 pm
When it comes to whooping cough vaccinations, health experts in Washington want you to roll up your sleeve, not open your wallet. (AP Photo/file)
(AP Photo/file)
When it comes to whooping cough vaccinations, health experts in Washington want you to roll up your sleeve, not open your wallet.
More than 2,000 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, are now reported statewide during this year’s epidemic. That’s the most cases since the 1940s.
Health Secretary Mary Seleky wants everybody to get a shot, which can cost as much as $80.
“We’ve got some vaccine that we’ve purchased and we’ve gotten it out to our local health departments,” said Selecky. “So the counties across the state have vaccine available for people who can’t afford to pay for the vaccine to get it.”
If you can afford it, great. But Selecky says health clinics won’t check your bank account. They’re most interested in getting you vaccinated.
The pertussis vaccine vaccine is also widely available at doctor offices and pharmacies.
“If they’re driving by a pharmacy and it says we have the whooping cough shot, I hope people stop and get that whooping cough shot,” Seleky said.
Data from health plans show an increase in vaccinations. Group Health gave almost 60 percent more Tdap, the pertussis booster shot, to adults in April of this year compared to April 2011. Premera Blue Cross is seeing a similar trend, with the number of Tdap vaccinations in April 2012 up by more than 70 percent for its members compared to an average month.
