The doctors’ negligence and late diagnosis of whooping cough in eight infants in California claimed their life.

As written by Dr. John Talarico, an immunization official with the California Department of Public Health to the health care providers, the infants were treated for mild respiratory infection, initially, which got intense with the time and turned into severe respiratory suffering, which took their life.

Citing the cases, the health officials have requested specialists to examine every baby less than six months against whooping cough or pertussis, who shows some symptoms. The detection of the disease is though difficult, as the symptoms are similar to normal respiratory infections.

Talarico said, ”Infants presenting with a history of respiratory difficulty should be evaluated and treated for pertussis until proven otherwise during the pertussis epidemic".

In the current year, around 3,600 cases of whooping cough were discovered in California till now, a seven times high from the past year.

Dr. James D. Cherry, a UCLA pediatrics professor and an expert on pertussis appraised the demise of eight babies and stated that some of them were not even examined and those who were diagnosed were not taken seriously. The delayed treatment led to lethal consequences.

The health experts fear that with the opening of the schools, there is a likelihood of spreading of whooping cough.

Pertussis catches infants more, as they possess weak immune system and are in the process of receiving their first set of vaccination.