BURLINGTON, Vt. -
The Vermont Health Department will offer free whooping cough vaccines Wednesday, in an effort to fight what they're calling an epidemic.
The number of confirmed whooping cough or pertussis cases in Vermont this year has skyrocketed to 568. That's roughly 10 times higher than last year. Health officials say kids vaccinated against the disease are still getting sick, so they needed to come up with a better solution to get more people vaccinated.
"Plan B is to have a broader strategy to vaccinate every Vermonter over the age of 11with Tdap. It's a new vaccine. It has very minimal side effects. It can be given to adults. So we're aiming at that broader population," said Dr. Harry Chen, the Vermont health commissioner.
The vaccines will be offered at 12 clinics across the state between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. For questions about pertussis or the clinics you can call 211 or visit the health department's website -- http://healthvermont.gov/local/district/district_office.aspx
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