Whooping cough has killed eight babies in California, and many seem unaware of the epidemic levels it has reached.
"Not as much as they were for let's say H1N1, because with H1N1 it was a national problem and there was just a whole lot of press. The more press and the more billboards, we get more people," Catherine Ratto from the Alameda County Health Department said.
The state currently provides whooping cough shots to all mothers of newborns -- free of charge.
Children also must get vaccinated before they start in kindergarten through fifth grade, but doctors point out that anyone who comes in contact with infants should receive the shot.
