(ARA) – Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon knows a thing or two about racing. This year, Gordon is using his skills to jump start a different type of race. Along with his wife, model Ingrid Vandebosch, Gordon is kicking off the “Race to Blanket America” to help raise awareness of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, and the importance of adult vaccination against the disease. The “Race to Blanket America” is part of the “Sounds of Pertussis” Campaign, a joint initiative from Sanofi Pasteur and March of Dimes.

Many Americans mistakenly believe that pertussis is a disease of the past, but it’s not. In 2010, pertussis was a key public health concern, with outbreaks reported across the country and the disease reaching epidemic status in California. This year, pertussis remains a top priority with case reports nationwide still high and, in some regions, rising above last year’s levels. In fact, 3,451 provisional pertussis cases were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of April 9, 2011. This is 60 percent more cases than those reported during the same time period last year. According to the California Department of Public Health, in the first few months of the year, more than 700 pertussis cases have been reported in the state.

Calling All Pertussis Champions

To help put the brakes on the spread of this disease, Gordon and Vandebosch are inviting adults across the country to join the “Race to Blanket America” by becoming Pertussis Champions and designing a personalized quilt square for the “Sounds of Pertussis” Protection Quilt on the Campaign’s website, SoundsofPertussis.com. The quilt is the centerpiece of the Race and serves as a visual reminder of how those closest to a baby can help create a “cocoon” – a blanket of protection – around the tiniest members of their family by getting an adult and adolescent tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccination. Because babies often catch pertussis from the adults closest to them, getting vaccinated can help adults reduce the risk of getting pertussis and unknowingly spreading the disease to the babies in their lives. In fact, when it could be determined how a baby caught pertussis, family members were responsible for spreading the disease to the baby up to 80 percent of the time.

Gordon and Vandebosch have waved the green flag to start the race by creating their own personalized quilt square and inviting families across the country to do the same at SoundsofPertussis.com. “Our quilt square was inspired by our children, Ella and Leo, and the bright colors speak to the joy they have brought to our lives. The square also represents our decision to get vaccinated against pertussis and we hope it inspires other parents to get an adult pertussis vaccination too,” says Gordon who, along with Vandebosch, is a spokesperson for the “Sounds of Pertussis” Campaign.

“Many parents don’t realize that babies are especially vulnerable to getting pertussis since they may not be fully protected against the disease until they’ve had at least three doses of the infant DTaP vaccine,” says Dr. Alan Fleischman, senior vice president and medical director of March of Dimes. “That’s why it’s so important for all adults and adolescents in close contact with an infant to get a pertussis booster vaccination. It’s just one of the simplest ways to help reduce the risk of transmitting pertussis to babies.”

Visitors to SoundsofPertussis.com can use a unique, interactive quilt design tool to create their own personalized quilt square that will be displayed on the website along with squares from others who are committed to helping spread the word about the disease. People will be able to view the digital quilt as it grows with new quilt square submissions and share their designed square with friends and family. For each square added to the quilt, Sanofi Pasteur will donate $1 (up to $10,000) to March of Dimes. Later this year, a fabric quilt will be created from digital squares and displayed at Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, N.C. The fabric quilt will be created from digital squares submitted on or before Sept. 1, 2011, or up to 10,000 squares, whichever comes first.

Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease that can last for weeks. It is usually milder in adults and adolescents than in infants, in whom the disease can be severe and potentially fatal. Learn more at SoundsofPertussis.com.