The Vermont Health Department is offering free vaccines at clinics around the state to prevent the spread of whooping cough which has reached epidemic numbers in Vermont.
The state recommends that 11-year-olds and adults over 19 get a Tdap vaccine booster for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
The state will hold free vaccine clinics today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at its 12 district offices for those who cannot get to their doctor for a shot. The state has ordered 3,500 vaccines costing $70,000 for the clinics.
As of two weeks ago, 522 Vermonters – a majority of them children ages 10 to 14 – had been infected with whooping cough. That’s 10 times the amount reported this time last year.