Jennifer Lopez to become spokesperson for whooping cough awareness

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Actress, singer and mother Jennifer Lopez is joining the March of Dimes and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis, to create a national public awareness campaign to educate new parents and their families about pertussis, or whooping cough.

Pertussis is highly contagious and is caused by bacteria that are spread through airborne droplets from the nose and throat. As a result, a cough, sneeze or even talking very close could lead to exposure. The coughing fits can be so violent that infants cannot catch their breath and may turn blue, and it can lead to other serious complications such as pneumonia. In recent years, 90% of pertussis deaths have occurred in infants younger than four months of age.

The campaign, dubbed "Sounds of Pertussis," focuses on educating new parents and their families about pertussis as it is making a comeback. Between2000-2003 and 2004-2007, there was a 100% increase in reported cases of pertussis. Estimates indicate that there may be as many as 800,000 to 3.3 million total adult and adolescent cases of pertussis in any given year.

The campaign's centerpiece is a series of television and radio public service announcements featuring Lopez that are available in both English and Spanish. The PSAs, scheduled to begin airing nationally this month, encourage new and expectant parents to help protect their babies by making sure that anyone who is, or will be, in close contact with a young infant has been vaccinated against pertussis.

Because Hispanic babies may be at a higher risk for contracting pertussis, and the risk of dying from pertussis may be higher in Hispanic infants than in non-Hispanic infants, the program is being implemented as a bilingual educational initiative.