Health Authorities have cautioned California to be the epicenter of a major outbreak of whooping cough. The infection reemerged this summer in California and has engulfed the Pacific Northwest.

It is claimed that 9 of the 10 infants who have succumbed to the infection were Latino.

As per the latest figures compiled till Oct. 26, over 6,257 cases of the infection have been reportedly confirmed in California, marking the largest level since 1950, when over 6,613 confirmed cases were reported.

Besides, it is revealed that the Latino community has contributed to a majority of the figures, attributing to a rate of over 16.5 cases per 100,000 people compared to 13.6 cases per 100,000 white people.

The California Department of Public Health claims that the rate of pertussis witnessed in Hispanic infants below the age of 6 months stand at over 395.9 cases per 100,000 babies, with these children attributing to over 76% of all hospitalized infants.

Health officials claim that Hispanic babies lie under the most vulnerable category primarily because of their living situation. A majority of them live with a greater number of people and hence are rendered at a boosted exposure to upper respiratory illness.