WHAT IS WHOOPING COUGH?
Whooping cough is a highly contagious, bacterial and respiratory infection that affects the lungs. It is the least well-controlled of all the immunization preventable diseases. Whooping Cough affects people all ages, but in children, the Whooping Cough is very severe and can be deadly. When a person has this disease, they cough continuously. This causes the person to breath sharply, causing the 'whoop' like sound. Whooping Cough is caused by the bacterium, Bordetella Pertussis entering the air pathways. This damages the lining of the windpipe, inflaming the main air passage that leads to the lungs. This then brings on mucus accumulation, causing the person to cough continuously and sometimes, vomit. The common Whooping Cough usually lasts up to three months. The scientific name for the Whooping Cough is Pertussis.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious, bacterial and respiratory infection that affects the lungs. It is the least well-controlled of all the immunization preventable diseases. Whooping Cough affects people all ages, but in children, the Whooping Cough is very severe and can be deadly. When a person has this disease, they cough continuously. This causes the person to breath sharply, causing the 'whoop' like sound. Whooping Cough is caused by the bacterium, Bordetella Pertussis entering the air pathways. This damages the lining of the windpipe, inflaming the main air passage that leads to the lungs. This then brings on mucus accumulation, causing the person to cough continuously and sometimes, vomit. The common Whooping Cough usually lasts up to three months. The scientific name for the Whooping Cough is Pertussis.
SYMPTOMS OF WHOOPING COUGH
The symptoms of the Whooping cough may occur after seven to ten days after the bacteria spreads.
First stage of symptoms (aka catarrh)
- sneezing
- mild cough
- low-grade fever
- runny nose
- loss of appetite
- Coughing spells (children may turn red or blue during these fits)
- Vomiting (occurs when choking on mucus)
- Exhaustion
- Possible complications such as Pneumonia or middle ear infection)
- This stage lasts 4-6 weeks
- Coughing and vomiting begins to pass (after a few months)
- If infected is a child, it is possible he/she may develop an upper respiratory tract infection.
SEVERITY OF WHOOPING COUGH
If Whooping Cough is contracted by elderly or young children, the case can be very severe. Those children that are un-vaccinated and develop the Whooping Cough, they are likely to develop Pneumonia. This is a concern, as very severe Pneumonia or Whooping cough may end in brain damage or death. If a child comes in contact with the bacteria and have not been vaccinated, they are likely to contract Whooping cough.
It is important to remember that if someone contracts Whooping Cough, they must stay away from work (school, childcare etc.) until they have been on antibiotics for five days. Children who are in the same household as the infected person who have had under three doses of pertussis vaccine need to stay away from school/childcare for twenty-one days or until they have taken antibiotics for five days.
If you feel like you may have the Whooping cough, it is important to consult your doctor. Usually nose swabs from ear or throat or blood tests can confirm the diagnosis. This is vital, given many adults have had the Whooping Cough before and have not realized it and have unknowingly spread the disease to young children. Whooping Cough is also very severe for those with respiratory problems such as asthma.