The Whooping Cough

Pertussis is known as the whooping cough. It is a contagious disease to a large degree that causes irrepressible, violent coughing. The main reason of the coughing is an upper respiratory infection caused by a bacterium named Bordetella pertussis.

 

 

Bordetella pertussis

It is spread through droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. It is highly one of the most contagious disease and whooping cough in Adults with a mild form can infect the health of others who have not yet been vaccinated.

Why is this disease called as whooping cough?

When the patient breathes he takes out the deep whooping sound from his mouth that is why it has been given this name.

 

a girl suffering from whooping cough

This disease is not for adults only; rather it can attack adult man, women, children, girls, boys in any age in life. In the past when vaccines of this disease were not generally obtainable, most of victims of this disease were small babies and young children and this was quite common in them. Parents should take whooping cough pertussis as seriously because that can cause total permanent disability in babies and sometimes it causes to death.

Signs and symptoms:

The first pertussis symptoms of whooping cough are alike to those of a common cold, having a runny nose, sneezing, mild cough and low-grade fever (less than 100.4° F). After the first 2 weeks of suffering from the initial reasons, the dry cough changes into coughing spells. During a coughing spell, which can remain for more than a minute, the affected one may turn red or purple and his health begins to deteriorate. Though small babies don’t always take out sound like coughing or whooping, they may rather gasp for air and might in fact stop breathing for a few seconds.
Adults and teenagers suffering from this disease may have symptoms like a prolonged cough, without the repeated spells or whoop.

Duration:

There are three stages of this disease. The child normally has one to two weeks of common cold symptoms in first stage, followed by more or less two to four weeks of severe coughing in second one, however these spells can at times remain longer. The third stage comprises another several weeks of recovery with gradual resolution of symptoms.

Is it contagious?

Pertussis is extremely contagious. The bacteria may reach from one person to another through air by infectious droplets. These may become airborne when the person sneezes, coughs, or laughs. This disease is mainly contagious during the beginning stages of disease such as up to two weeks after the whooping coughing starts.

Prevention and treatment:

This disease can be prevented by using whooping cough vaccination. It is the part of DTaP also DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, a cellular pertussis ) immunization . DTaP immunizations are usually given in five doses before a child turns six. To give more safety, the AAP now recommends that kids of ages eleven to eighteen get a booster shot of the new combination vaccine (called Tdap). Young kids who have not received all five doses of the vaccine may require a booster dose if exposed to an infected family member.

Professional treatment:

1. A patient with a whooping cough is treated with antibiotics, usually for almost fourteen days.
2. If antibiotics are taken in the later stages, they can stop the spread of the infection to others.
3. Consult your doctor whether preventive antibiotics or vaccine boosters for other family members are necessary.
4. Infants and young children are more likely to be hospitalized because they’re at a greater risk for complications such as pneumonia. Up to 75% of infants younger than six months, with whooping cough will get hospital treatment.
5. In the hospital, the child may require thick respiratory secretions. Intravenous (IV) fluids might be necessary if the child shows signs of dehydration or faces complexity in eating.

Home treatment:

1. If your child is being treated at home, follow the schedule for giving antibiotics accurately as your doctor has prescribed. Giving cough medicines only will not assist, as even the strongest normally can’t relieve the coughing spells of whooping cough.
2. During the recovery period, let your child take rest and use a cool-mist vaporizer to help loosen respiratory secretions and soothe irritated lungs and breathing passages. Please be sure to follow directions for keeping it clean.
3. Keep your home free of irritants that can cause coughing spells, such as aerosol sprays, tobacco smoke, and smoke from cooking etc.
4. Children with whooping cough may vomit, not eat or drink much due to recurrent coughing. Therefore, give small, more frequent meals and give confidence to your child to drink plenty amount of fluids. Also, be careful about signs of dehydration, including thirst, irritability, restlessness, weariness, sunken eyes, a dry mouth, tongue and skin, lack of tears, and less urination cycles.

When should you call a medical doctor?

A medical doctor should examine your child. if he/she has prolonged coughing spells, particularly if your child turn red or purple, followed by vomiting, simultaneously with a whooping sound when your child breathes after coughing. A doctor should also be consulted if your child is being treated at home and is facing trouble in taking breath or showing symptoms of dehydration.