Symptoms And Treatment Of Whooping Cough

Cause: Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, is a highly contagious disease affecting the respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs and airways) and is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The ‘whoop’ from the cough derives from the deep breaths at the end of each bout of coughing. Whooping cough is very infectious and affects individuals of all ages.

No. It is hard to diagnose Pertussis early because the symptoms are the same as the common cold and only until the later stages of the disease is it normally

For instance, pertussis, or commonly known as whooping cough, “Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection (cdc.gov).” This infection may resemble a common cold; however, it quickly turns into a more serious illness, causing babies or those with compromised immune systems to stop breathing and can become fatal. Babies cannot receive this vaccination until they are two months of age. Most babies who have whooping cough catch it from their caregivers or other family members. Whooping cough spreads easily from person to person, through coughing and sneezing, usually people who spread whooping cough are unaware that they even have it. The best way to prevent this is to receive the pertussis vaccination, DTaP in children and TDaP in adults. If you have received the vaccination in the past, it is always best to ask your health care provider if you are in need of a booster vaccination. Much like other vaccinations, the boosters are just as important as the initial vaccination. The immunity can wear off over time leaving one susceptible to the

Whooping cough, which is also known as, Pertussis, is caused by infection by the Bordetella Pertussis bacteria. A highly contagious bacterial disease affects the respiratory system and produces spasms of coughing that usually end in a high-pitched whooping sound.

What is pertussis, commonly known as “whooping cough”? Whooping cough is an infection of the respiratory

Every year or season a slightly different flu strain awakens, infecting our human population. This fall it’s the whooping cough, also called pertussis. It is causing many deaths, especially in infants. Many health officials have grown concerned with this unexpected new threat, mainly because the babies are too young to be fully immunized by the illness. It’s essential to understand how this virus is effecting our population and what procedures must be taken in order to prevent it from continuing to spread.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is an acute and highly contagious disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, a gram-negative

Every year thousands of adults, children, and infants contract a dangerous and highly contagious bacterial disease. This disease is called pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, and it affects the upper respiratory tract. Pertussis gets the name whooping cough because of the "whoop" sound made by those infected with the bacteria. Whooping cough is a disease that is specific only to humans and has a greater affect on children or those with a weak immune system. Those who already have a respiratory ailment such as COPD are also at a greater risk.

Individuals with whooping cough normally spread the disease by coughing or sniffling while in close contact with others, who then take in the bacteria that cause the disease. Numerous children who get whooping hack are contaminated by the people who are around them the most (i.e. parents, siblings and caretakers) who may not even know they have the illness. Whooping cough causes extreme hacking spells, which can end in a "whooping" sound when the kid breathes in.

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a serious, transmissible respiratory infection that is caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. The disease is characterized by cold symptoms at first and develops to prolong coughing with a whooping sound made due to heavy breathing, sneezing, running nose and low body temperature. The disease is airborne and spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs and the close person breathe in the air. The disease mainly touches infants who are below six months old and children who are between 11 to 18 years of age whose immunity against the disease is dwindling, as its effectiveness lasts for four years. A number of Fallsburg Elementary School kids are in this age bracket, hence are likely to contract the disease.

Signs and symptoms of pertussis usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. In babies, the cough can be minimal or not even there. Babies may have a symptom known as "apnea." Apnea is a pause in the child's breathing pattern. Pertussis is most dangerous for babies. About half of babies younger than 1 year who get the disease need care in the hospital. Early symptoms during the first two weeks include occasional coughing, runny nose, low grade fever and apnea in babies. After that 1-2 weeks’ traditional symptoms such as Paroxysms (fits) of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched "whoop “vomiting (throwing up) during or after coughing fits and exhaustion after coughing fits

Consequently, the incidence of pertussis remains high with teens to adults thus they are the major source of transmission to infants, which often proves itself deadly to infants under 8 weeks of age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Reasons for this low rate of immunization ranges from deficient knowledge, fear of vaccines adverse effects to the lack of accessible and affordable programs (Blendell, R. L., Fehr, J. L., 2012). The Institute of Medicine released a consensus report in 2011 that explains the evidence refuting health problems such as autism or asthma links to vaccines and found only common self-limiting adverse effects of vaccination including injection site reactions or localized pain, fever, and malaise (Blendell, R. L., Fehr, J. L.,

Attention Getter: On January 6th, 2012, Brady Alcaide, a 6 week old baby, was admitted to the emergency room in Springfield, Massechusettes with a fever of 104 degrees. After testing negative for the flu, and ridded of his fever, Brady and his family were sent home. Three weeks later, Brady Alcaide-now only 9 weeks old-died. Brady had been a victim of pertussis, or whooping cough, which is a preventable bacterial disease that has been on the rise in recent decades. (Zimmerman, 2012)

The bacteria is spread by having contact with infected fluid from other people. Through respiratory droplets, the bacteria can be spread a lot faster with the infected person coughing, sneezing or even sometimes being in a small space with an infected person. This pathogen causes its harm by attaching to the cilia and releasing toxins paralyzing the cilia and causes thick mucus to collect in the airways causing them to swell. The time of being expose to showing symptoms of the whooping cough can be from 6-20days.A person is most contagisis for the first sign of any cough or two weeks after the bouts of coughing

Mrs. J. arrives at the emergency department with her 6 year old son, PJ, who has a history of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). He is febrile (101.7° F orally), BP 98/66, HR 122, RR 32 with the use of accessory muscles. Mother states PJ has, for the last five days, exhibited signs and symptoms of upper respiratory infection, runny nose, low grade fever, cough, and fatigue. He has lost 2 pounds over the past 5 days due to anorexia though he has not had vomiting. He weighs 36 pounds and height is 3’2”. Today, PJ became more lethargic and his fever was difficult to control with pyretics.