Whooping cough also known as pertussis.
It is a highly contagious respiratory tract disease and characterized severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like "whoop." Hacking cough means laud dry frequent spasmodic cough.
The disease is caused by bacteria Bordetella pertussis.
It is spread easily through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person.
The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms like, mild fever, runny nose, and maybe a mild cough.
In babies it can cause Apnea, a pause in the child’s breathing pattern.
Pertussis is most dangerous for babies. It can cause pneumonia and sometimes even death.
Early symptoms can last for 1 to 2 weeks.
Pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold.
After initial phase symptoms
Paroxysms of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched “whoop” sound. That’s why it is called whooping cough.
Vomiting, during or after coughing fits.
Exhaustion, feeling very tired after coughing fits.
Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from your lungs. When there is no more air in the lungs, you are forced to inhale with a loud “whooping” sound.
Coughing more often occurs at night.
Between coughing attack periods the person can feel better.
Pertussis can last 10 weeks or more. In China, pertussis is known as the “100 day cough.”
The infection is milder and no whoop, in adults and in persons with vaccinated.
Recovery from pertussis can happen slowly.
The cough becomes milder and less common.
However, coughing fits can return with other respiratory infections for many months after the pertussis infection started.
Diagnosis is made by collecting a sample from the back of the nose and throat. This sample can then be tested by either culture or by polymerase chain reaction.
Nowadays we have prevention for pertussis, Vaccines can prevent pertussis or whooping cough.
Initial immunization is recommended between six and eight weeks of age, with four doses to be given in the first two years of life. Protection from pertussis decreases over time. so additional doses of vaccine are often recommended for older children and adults.
In pregnant women and children less than one year old, antibiotics are recommended within six weeks of symptom onset. Antibiotics used include erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
About 50% of infected children less than a year old require hospitalization and nearly 0.5% (1 in 200) die.
Most healthy older children and adults fully recover.
