California is in the midst of a whooping cough epidemic, a vaccine preventable bacterial infection. Poverty on the high plateau and insanity in the suburbs have lowered vaccination rates with predictable results. 

Infants are particularly vulnerable to whooping cough. According to the CDC, they cannot begin vaccination treatments prior to two months. Until they are fully immunized, infants must rely on herd immunity to avoid infection. Parents who fail immunize their children place them and others at risk. Newborns are at the mercy of a herd that contains some individuals who appear to be a few cards shy of a full deck.