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- Whooping Cough.
Whooping Cough
Whooping cough is an acute, infectious disease of the respiratory tract, caused by the bacillus Bordetella pertussis which
lives in the human throat. Infection is transmitted by direct contact, usually by means of droplets sprayed into the air
during coughing spells.
The greatest risk of spread is during the early stage when it appears to be a cold. Whooping cough is worldwide in distribution
and occurs periodically in epidemics. Most cases occur in children under five years of age, with children less than one year
old being the most seriously affected.
Signs and Symptoms:
Symptoms start between an average of 7 - 10 days after exposure to the bacteria. It can start off like an ordinary cold
(runny nose, sneezing, cough, fever) for 7 - 14 days, but tends to worsen with periods of uncontrolled coughing that can
last 1 - 2 months. An infected individual has cough episodes that may end in vomiting or a "whoop" sound when he tries to
breathe in.
These episodes frequently cause the child to go blue and can be very worrying for the onlooker. Between the periods or spasms
of coughing the child seems fine. During the severe coughing stage, pneumonia, seizures, brain damage or even death can occur
especially in an infant. Serious complications are less with older children or adults.
Adults may get whooping cough because protection from immunisation only lasts 5-10 years after the last dose. When adults get
whooping cough, the diagnosis may not be quite so clear cut and it may just seem like a prolonged, irritating cough.
Sometimes the coughing is so severe that it causes vomiting, nose bleeds or broken blood vessels in the whites of the eyes.
Treatment/Prevention:
Since whooping cough can be fatal, vaccination against whooping cough is very important. Vaccination against diphtheria, pertussis
(whooping cough), tetanus and hib (haemophilus influenza) is combined into one injection called "DPT/HIB". This vaccination is usually
given to a baby at 3 months of age and repeated at 4 and 5 months of age.
There is also a booster at 18 months. This series of vaccinations usually prevents whooping cough. In rare cases, however, whooping
cough may occur in spite of receiving the series of vaccinations (i.e. full immunity has not developed). The symptoms of whooping
cough in these cases, however, are generally much milder.
Vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough may cause fever, tenderness, redness and swelling in the area where the child
was injected. These symptoms can last one to two days. In very rare cases (1 in 100,000 cases), serious reactions to the whooping cough
part of the vaccination can occur - especially if your child has a history of seizures, a previous reaction to the vaccine or has a feverish
illness before the vaccine is given.
This has caused some parents to be concerned. In fact, in some countries parents have stopped vaccinating their children against pertussis.
The result has been an increased number of children catching and dying from whooping cough. Recently, an improved "acellular pertussis"
vaccine is now available. This improved vaccine has parts of the B. Pertussis cells removed. As a result, there are fewer side effects
from fever and seizures.
Antibiotics (erythromycin) are often not very effective in the treatment of whooping cough once severe coughing has begun. Antibiotics help
reduce the length of the illness and prevent the spread of whooping cough to others. It will be given to family members once there is an
infected person in the family.
There are ways to help lessen the coughing, and they include:
- placing a humidifier in the bedroom.
- reducing or avoid triggers for coughing bouts (e.g. smoking in the home, dust, drafts,
dry air, sudden changes in temperature).
- talking to a doctor or health professional about the use of cough medications.
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