Sounds of Pertussis
While most parents can't wait to hear their baby's first babbles and coos, there's a first sound that actress, singer and mother Jennifer Lopez is betting no parents ever want to hear - the sound of their baby with pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough. Ms. Lopez has joined the March of Dimes and sanofi pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, to create a national public awareness campaign called "Sounds of Pertussis."

The new initiative focuses on educating new parents and their families about pertussis, a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease for infants. The campaign's centerpiece is a series of television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) featuring Ms. Lopez that are available in both English and Spanish. The PSAs, scheduled to begin airing nationally this month, encourage new and expectant parents to help protect their babies by making sure that anyone who is, or will be, in close contact with a young infant has been vaccinated against pertussis.

"When I learned that many babies who get pertussis catch it from their parents, and how easy it is for adults to get vaccinated, I was shocked," said Ms. Lopez. "New and expectant parents have so many things to worry about. Getting pertussis themselves, or possibly spreading the disease to their own children, shouldn't be one of them. I felt it was urgent to let parents know how important it is that they get vaccinated against pertussis to protect themselves and to help keep their babies safe from this dangerous disease," she added.

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