Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has reached "epidemic levels" in the state of Washington, health officials say. As of March 31, the state had 640 cases compared to 94 cases at the same time last year. This could put Washington “on-pace to have the highest number of reported cases in decades,” according to the health department's press release. There have not been any reported  deaths, said a spokesman for the health department. The state had two whooping cough deaths in 2010 and two in 2011. Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease caused by bacteria that can lead to severe upper respiratory infections. The bacteria spread in tiny droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can resemble a cold at first, but as the disease persists, it may cause severe coughing attacks that end with a high-pitched whooping sound. The disease is preventable through a vaccine, which is given to children through a series of five injections from 2 months to 4 or 6 years of age. Whooping cough is most serious in infants, especially when they’re too young to get vaccinated or aren’t fully protected yet. Even after all five shots, the childhood vaccine doesn’t protect you for life.  Booster shots are recommended after age 11 and every 10 years during adulthood through the Tdap vaccine, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria. Health officials recommend anyone with close contact with babies to get up-to-date with their shots. However, some parents choose to not vaccinate their children or, in other cases, vaccinated people lose their immunity because the vaccine has worn off. Washington health officials have started airing a public service announcement that features a mother who lost her baby to whooping cough last year. The PSA can be heard here. In 2010, whooping cough infected 9,000 people and killed 10 infants in California, in the worst outbreak in the state in 60 years. California passed a law requiring all students in the 7 th to 12 th grade to get the Tdap booster shot. Filed under: Children’s Health , Whooping cough Tagged: Madison Park – CNNhealth.com Writer/Producer

Salmonella bacteria By Timothy W. Martin As the amount of food shipped from overseas continues to rise, so does the risk of any contamination sparking outbreaks in multiple states. As WSJ reports , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of disease outbreaks from imported food is rising, with 39 outbreaks between 2005 and 2010. Nearly half of those occurred in 2009-10, and 45% of the foods that sickened people originated in Asia. Almost a quarter of the import outbreaks occurred across several states, the CDC said, compared to just 1% of all outbreaks. Since imported foods aren’t grown and distributed locally or regionally, as most domestic foods are, the chances of a widespread outbreak are greater. Just one outbreak, of salmonella from tainted Mexican jalapeno and Serrano chiles, sickened more than 1,400 people across 43 states. And 52 people in 17 states were made ill by contaminated raw materials from China used in Veggie Booty, a puffed rice snack. The Food and Drug Administration says it will increase investigations of overseas-based food facilities in the coming years, but what’s a consumer to do? There aren’t a lot options. It’s nearly impossible to avoid all imported foods because domestically produced fare can contain foreign ingredients. And people continue to get foodborne illnesses from unexpected new sources, making it tough to discern what’s risky. If there is an outbreak caused by an identified food item, you can check the FDA’s website to find out which brands have been recalled. And the CDC suggests some ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Avoid eating raw or undercooked meats. Steer clear of unpasteurized milk. Rinse fresh foods and vegetables under running water. For evading salmonella — the most common cause of foodborne illness — the CDC recommends avoiding eating runny whites or yolks from eggs. (The heat from a thoroughly-cooked egg reduces the amount of salmonella bacteria in an egg). And the basics of kitchen hygiene still hold true: Use clean utensils and surfaces; separate raw foods from ready-to-eat ones; avoid undercooking meats; and store foods that could spoil in the refrigerator. Image source: iStockphoto

Fake Avastin in the U.S.: A counterfeit version of Roche’s Avastin anti-cancer drug has been found in the U.S., though it’s not known how much was distributed, whether patients received it or whether it caused harm, the WSJ reports . The FDA has notified 19 medical practices in the U.S. that it says might have purchased the fake Avastin, which doesn’t contain the active ingredient in the real drug. A spokeswoman for Roche unit Genentech says the counterfeit drugs were labeled in French, identified Roche instead of Genentech as the manufacturer and had lot numbers starting with B86017, B6011 or B6010. “Doc Fix” Deal Coming?: Lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement that would extend the Medicare “doc fix” for ten months, putting off a scheduled reimbursement cut, Dow Jones Newswires reports . The extension is part of a broader agreement that would also extend the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits; the “doc fix” would be paid for with spending reductions, DJN says. Doctors Firing Patients: More pediatricians are refusing to treat children whose parents won’t have them vaccinated, the WSJ reports . Studies showing that a greater percentage of doctors are “firing” patients who won’t follow the recommended vaccination schedule are raising the question of what responsibility physicians owe their patients, the paper says. Doctors say they are worried about the welfare of their patients who aren’t vaccinated due to age or illness and might be infected by others. Cost of a Foot: Medicare’s bill for artificial feet rose about 60% between 2005 and 2010, to $94 million, despite the fact that the agency covered a smaller number of prostheses, the Associated Press reports . The chief question: do elderly patients whose feet are amputated due to diabetes really need the advanced technology found in newer and more expensive artificial feet designed for younger, active patients? A trade group says the government is getting better-functioning prostheses for its money. Image: iStockphoto

Tantalizing bites for the Super Bowl The movies we can’t wait to see at Sundance Are you making these hair mistakes? 18 ways Michael Fassbender puts the sex in sexy Give your Facebook Timeline a facelift with cool photo filters Turn leftover champagne into a bubbly dessert Parenting humor: 10 funny movies about parenthood Shirtless Matt Damon and Chris Hemsworth hang in St. Barts with their bikini-clad wives Warm, stylish looks to wear to Sundance Tour the Greystone Mansion Maison De Luxe Showhouse! Fresh start resolution: get rid of the stuff you don’t need Fridge fixes and cabinet cleanup for healthier eating Video: birds of a feather shred together Video: watch the Glee proposal we didn’t see coming and meet Rachel’s dads!

Ian Kerner , a sexuality counselor and New York Times best-selling author, blogs about sex on Thursdays on The Chart. Read more from him on his website, GoodInBed. If you have kids or are hoping to get pregnant, you know all too well that trying to conceive is one of the few times when sex isn’t just about pleasure for pleasure’s sake. In fact, unless you’re one of those couples that get pregnant right away, conception sex can become downright stressful. As a father of two boys, I understand that trying to conceive can start to seem pretty, well, trying. According to one British survey, the average couple has sex 104 times before getting pregnant: four times a week on average over the course of six months. No wonder sex can start to feel like work. Here’s why: You’re stuck with a schedule. Part of what makes sex so fun is that it can be spontaneous: Even if you’re always doing it in bed, at night, you at least have the option to have a hot hookup in your parked car or a little afternoon delight during your lunch break. But when you’re trying to conceive, you become beholden to a schedule – one that’s dictated largely by biology and ovulation. This sense of pressure can make sex seem less like a decision based on desire and more like a boring chore to be checked off your to-do list, says Hilda Hutcherson, M.D., author of “Sex and the Baby Years.” You have to do it on demand. For many guys, the idea of a woman who wants a lot of sex all the time sounds great, right? And that’s how it seems when you start trying to conceive. After a while, though, this approach can get awfully old, and you can say goodbye to foreplay and any sort of emotional connection. You might even start to feel like a sex object, as if she wants you only for your sperm. The same British survey confirms that experience, with 11% of men saying that conception sex made them feel “completely used." And it’s no easier for women. The free pass for constant sex can initially be a boon to women with high sex drives. “Eventually, though, you may just start to view sex as a means to an end,” says Hutcherson. “One of my patients actually described yelling at her husband, ‘It doesn’t take that long! You don’t have to enjoy it! Just ejaculate!’” You’re both under stress. Unless you get pregnant early on, the whole process of conception sex can start to wear on you both. You might end up having less sex – and less-pleasurable sex – as time passes. And if you can’t conceive right away, visits to your doc­tor for invasive fertility testing and treatments can make conception sex extra stressful. One recent study published in Fertility & Sterility found that women who underwent treatment for infertility reported being less satisfied with their sex lives, had sex less often and felt less sexual desire than those with normal fertility. Other research suggests that coping with infertility and its treat­ments can have negative effects on a couple’s emo­tional well-being and can create relationship tension. Your bedroom routine gets routine. No one wants to constantly do the same thing, the same way, at the same time and in the same place. If your sex life is starting to feel like the movie "Groundhog Day," it’s time to mix things up, even as you continue to try to get pregnant. So what should you do? First, don’t limit sex to a woman’s fertile days. “Some people believe that they should ‘save’ the man’s ejaculate until ovulation. That’s a myth,” says Hutcherson. “In fact, storing up sperm can decrease its motility.” So enjoy sex whenever – and wherever – you want it. View conception sex as a time to build a solid foundation for your life as parents: Trust me, you’ll be facing even more challenges to your sex life then!

Teen IQs Can Change: Intellectual capacity may be more malleable than previously thought, according to a new study published online in Nature that found the IQs of teenagers can shift by as much as 20 points in a couple of years, the WSJ reports . The study also scanned subjects’ brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging and found that slight changes in speech-related areas of the brain were associated with changes in verbal IQ scores, while shifts in nonverbal IQ were tied to changes in another area. Radiation Benefit: A review of previously published studies appearing in the Lancet finds that radiation therapy following breast-cancer surgery reduces the risk of recurrence to 19% from 35% in the decade after surgery and lowers the risk of death to 21% from 25% over 15 years, the New York Times reports . The review covered 17 studies that included nearly 11,000 women. Produce Freshness Halo: Packaged-food makers want to get their products in the grocery-store produce section to take advantage of the health and quality “halo” surrounding fresh fruits and vegetables, the WSJ reports . Grocery stores, however, want to keep packaged foods out of the produce section in order to distinguish themselves from warehouse stores and convenience markets and to keep high-margin fresh products at the front of the store. Supply-Side Restriction: A perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine says abortion opponents are increasingly turning to “supply-side” efforts that enact new requirements for physicians and facilities rather than attempting to deter women from seeking abortions with waiting periods and other “demand-side” restrictions, Kaiser Health News reports . New rules in Kansas — temporarily blocked by a judge — require abortion clinics to meet certain size and facility requirements and could “force two of the state’s three abortion providers to stop offering the service,” KHN reports. Image: iStockphoto

Sara is finally ready to meet Taylor Lautner ! It’s time for the finale of I’m a Huge Fan: Taylor Lautner - the big interview. Before sitting down to chat with the Abduction star, Sara is off to pick out the perfect dress at The Back Room San Diego and get her hair and makeup done at Jet Rhys Salon . Now that she looks amazing, Sara has to pull from everything she has learned about Taylor for a one-on-one, sit-down chat on behalf of PopSugar. In case you missed it, watch I’m a Huge Fan, Part One and Part Two at Comic-Con . Now, enjoy the I’m a Huge Fan finale, and check out Taylor in Abduction in theaters now!

I am a fan of snacking but also know that mindless snacking is enemy number one when trying to drop pounds or maintain a healthy weight. There are many tricks to keeping your munchies confined to reasonable portions: not eating chips directly out of the bag, not snacking while watching TV, setting snack times, etc. Here’s a new trick to add to your arsenal for fighting unwanted calories: cut your sweets to cut calories . A small study involving 54 college students, published in the May issue of Journal of the American Dietetic Association , found that cutting candy in half reduced caloric intake. The participants, divided into two groups, were given 20 pieces of candy to eat while completing unrelated computer tasks – this was done to distract them. For one group the candy was served as whole pieces and for the other the same amount of candy was served, but it was cut in half. On average, the group that snacked on full-sized pieces of candy consumed 60 calories more than those noshing on the smaller pieces of candy. The authors concluded that: “A cognitive bias could explain why people tend to consider that one unit of food (e.g., 10 candies) is the appropriate amount to consume, regardless of the size of the food items in the unit.” Although the study was small, it is an interesting strategy and one worth testing on those crazy chocolate craving days (read PMS). Rather than taking bites out of a chocolate bar, try eating one chocolate chip at a time. Hopefully you will find the smaller chips to be an “appropriate food unit” and eat fewer calories.

For this week’s Get Fit For 2011 challenge, we asked readers to share their favorite healthy snack . The response from the Get Fit For 2011 community group was great and gave us a lot of ideas for the next time we get the munchies! Take a look to see what members nibble on to tide them over between meals. Warning: this will probably make you hungry! If you’re ready to join the fun and feel the community support, log in and head directly to Get Fit For 2011 . Need a little help making a blog post? Here are tips on posting in our group . By participating in the challenges, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win our weekly prize – a $100 Nike gift card and our grand prize! At the end of the three-month challenge, we will pick a grand prize winner at random from all of the weekly challenge entries. Remember, the more you participate, the more chances you have to win the grand prize: a Get Fit Boot Camp in Los Angeles that includes a round-trip flight to Los Angeles, a four-night stay at the W Hollywood , a personal training session with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins , a nutrition consultation with C & J Nutrition , and four workout sessions with our very own FitSugar editors that will be featured on PopSugar LivingTV. View Slideshow ›

“For women today, there are no limits. We play hard, get down and dirty, and kick butt. And we’re going to set new and higher standards for the female athletes of the future.” – Olympian Lindsey Vonn on the power of female athleticism. Along with former professional athletes Mia Hamm and Lisa Leslie , Lindsey was named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year .