In Brief: CDPH Declares Whooping Cough Epidemic; Good Samaritan Hospital, USC Keck Medical School Form Affiliation

CDPH Declares Whooping Cough Epidemic In California

The California Department of Public Health has declared that whooping cough is epidemic statewide.

Some 5,400 cases of whooping cough have been identified in California as of earlier this month, up from 4,558 in late June, with an overall rate of 14 cases per 100,000. The overall number of cases is about double compared to a year ago.

Hit particularly hard have been semi-rural counties in Northern California, including Marin, Napa , Sonoma and Yolo Counties.

CDPH officials blame the epidemic on the cyclical nature of whooping cough and the the fact the vaccine for the ailment wears off over time. Another factor may be an increased aversion by small clusters of parents against vaccinating their children over the fear they may contract autism. Such clusters of unvaccinated children are particularly commonplace in the Bay Area and surrounding regions.

Good Samaritan Hospital, Keck USC Medical School Form Affiliation

Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine have formed a new affiliation focused on neuroscience.

The USC Neuroscience Center at Good Samaritan Hospital will include both inpatient care and outpatient consultation focusing on intracranial tumors, spinal procedures, neuro-oncology, stroke and other vascular conditions. 

"The Good Samaritan affiliation brings the best of both worlds into one location:  convenience of a community hospital, with the expertise of the university hospital," said Thomas C. Chen, M.D., director of the USC/Norris neuro-oncology program.

Financial terms of the affiliation were not disclosed.

UCSF Scientists Receive Psoriasis Research Grants

Three researchers with the University of California at San Francisco have received $350,000 in grants from the National Psoriasis Foundation. They were among 13 researchers nationwide who received a round of grants totaling more than $1 million.

The money is being earmarked to find new treatments and a potential cure for the skin disease and for a related ailment, psoriatic arthritis.

Michael Rosenblum, M.D., a UCSF professor of dermatology, received a two-year, $200,000 grant to translate lab findings into improved treatments for psoriasis. Two other UCSF researchers, Averil Ma, M.D. chief of its division of gastroenterology and hepatology and Jubin Ryu, M.D., with the department of dermatology, received $75,000 apiece for early stage psoriatic research.

Psoriasis affects 7.5 million Americans, and about 30% have the automimmune condition degenerate into arthritis.