📋
Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Tulare County Grand Jury • 2010-2011

Tulare County Grand Jury Report 2010-2011 Pertussis (whooping Cough) a Deadly Menace

Published: October 19, 2010 9 pages
View PDF View Full Original

Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F14, F15, F16, F17, F18, F19, F20, F21, F22, F23, F24, F25, F26, F27, F28, F29, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F35, F36, F37, F38, F39, F40, F41, F42, F43, F44, F45, F46, F47, F48, F49, F50, F51, F52, F53, F54

Findings 14 findings

F1 Page 44
California has the largest number of confirmed cases of Pertussis within the United States.
F2 Page 44
In 2010, there were 10 deaths due to Pertussis in California. Nine were infants less than two months old.
F3 Page 44
Tulare County falls in the midrange of cases reported by California counties.
F4 Page 44
Pertussis is an airborne bacterial respiratory illness. It can be spread from person to person by droplets released by coughing and sneezing.
F5 Page 44
Infants are at high risk because they are not vaccinated until they are about six weeks old. Adolescents and adults are also at risk to Pertussis because their immunity has waned from their childhood vaccinations. Two different vaccines 41 TULARE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT 2010-2011 are used in the prevention of Pertussis. Diphtheria Tetanus Acelular Pertussis (DTaP) is given at six weeks of age. Tetanus Diphtheria Adult Pertussis (Tdap), is a booster given to youths and adults.
F6 Page 45
Approximately 1,500 doses of Pertussis vaccine were given throughout the county in November and December of 2010. The locations included swap meets, farmers markets, Tulare County Works Office, W. I. C. Offices, McDermott Field House, Tulare Outlet Mall, Tulare and Visalia Veterans Memorial Buildings, and at some school sites.
F7 Page 45
Depending on clinic attendance, vaccination costs range between $8.00 and $24.00. Another variable in determining cost included whether County employees or Maxim (a contracted health care personnel provider) administers the vaccinations.
F8 Page 45
Assembly Bill 354 (AB 354) requires all incoming students from 7th grade through high school to be immunized against Pertussis beginning July 1, 2011. The contract between the State and Maxim was extended, but cannot be utilized for the purpose of satisfying this new (unfunded) school mandate. Maxim can only be utilized to “cocoon infants.” Children eligible for the Vaccines For Children (VFC) program can go to an Immunization Action Program (IAP) clinic and all others to their personal doctor for this vaccine.
F9 Page 45
Parents can easily opt out of having their children immunized by signing a form citing religious or medical objections.
F10 Page 45
Due to funding and staffing issues as of January 1, 2011, there will no longer be any clinics other than the regularly scheduled IAP clinics. Adults are welcome to attend IAP clinics for Tdap vaccine.
F11 Page 45
Tdap is offered in the County’s Mobile Health Unit by appointment. All three birthing hospitals; i.e., Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, Tulare Regional Medical Center in Tulare and Sierra View Hospital in Porterville refer families of newborns for vaccinations.
F12 Page 45
Tdap is offered to parents of newborns coming into the Vital Statistics Office for birth certificates.
F13 Page 45
Immunizations with Tdap are strongly recommended by the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) for anyone in a home where newborns and/or infants reside, or are cared for. CONCLUSIONS Due to the restrictions placed by the State, HHSA cannot use State supplied vaccines to conduct immunization clinics to include all students in each school. Lack of funding limits HHSA personnel from conducting more clinics for purposes of cocooning, even though the County has access to vaccines from the State at no cost. TULARE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT 2010-2011
F55
9. TCERA, in accordance with its role as administrator of the Plan, maintains a separate account known as the Supplemental Retiree Benefit Reserve (SRBR). The monies in the SRBR fund (about $120 million at the end of June, 2010) are described by T U L A R E C O U N T Y G R A N D J U R Y R E P O R T 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1 46 TCERA as having come from “excess earnings (that is those earnings above what the plan expects to make on its investments each year)”. Of earnings deemed to be “excess earnings” about 50% are put into the SRBR.

Recommendations 4