By Cynthia H. Craft, Sacramento Bee

Once thought to be nearly eradicated, pertussis, the highly contagious respiratory disease also known as whooping cough, surged last year in many areas of California, with hundreds more cases reported in 2013 than in the previous year, state figures show.

In the greater Sacramento region, the largest bump in pertussis cases occurred in Placer County, which reported 79 cases in 2013, up from 11 cases in 2012. Sacramento County reported 65 cases, almost double the number in 2012. Yolo County was the only county in the region to see fewer pertussis cases in 2013: four, down from six the year before.

California health officials cite a variety of reasons for the uptick. A major contributor, according to the state, was declining immunity among children who had been vaccinated years earlier and had yet to get the booster shot recommended at ages 11 or 12.

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