Jewish & World News

An older version of the whooping cough vaccine offered better protection against the disease than the current version does, a new study from Australia suggests. Children who received the older version of the vaccine were less likely to catch the disease before age 12, compared with those who received the newer version of the vaccine, or a combination of the two vaccines, the study found.

Whooping cough is making a comeback. There have been more than 300 cases of the potentially deadly infection on Long Island this year and New York is near the top of the list for infection rates nationwide.

The number of whooping cough cases has tripled in New York, and Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on health officials to provide free vaccinations. On Sunday, the senator urged the federal government to work with health officials in every state to make sure adults get vaccinated for free if they haven't been since age 18.