Whooping cough vaccine now available at Walgreens, Take Care Clinics in Arizona

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens announced that it is offering Arizona residents protection against whooping cough, also known as pertussis, at all of the drug store chain's points of care throughout the state.

Walgreens said immunizations (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis-Tdap vaccine) now are available at more than 275 Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics throughout Arizona. Walgreens pharmacists in Arizona can administer the whooping cough vaccine to patients ages 7 to 17 years with a prescription, as well as to those ages 18 years and older without a prescription. Take Care Clinics, located at 28 Walgreens in Maricopa and Pima counties, can administer the vaccine to those older than age 10 years.

The announcement follows information from the Maricopa County department of public health, which reported a 41% increase in its number of whooping cough cases in 2011 over the previous year and more than double the number of cases reported in 2009. Latest pertussis immunization recommendations for children and adults, as well as vaccine information, visit the Arizona Department of Health Services website at Azdhs.gov.

"We share in the recommendations of health officials that one of the best things people can do to keep themselves and their families healthy during a possible outbreak is to get vaccinated," Arizona market pharmacy director for Walgreens Laura Zimmerly said. "In addition to children, who are the most vulnerable, those who care for or are in contact with children should also be immunized. We hope that through greater access to immunizations, we can keep our communities healthy and help limit the spread of the virus."

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