Whooping cough

The whooping cough It is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes a very annoying and uncontrollable cough and can cause respiratory distress in the child. It is a disease spread throughout the world and is especially dangerous in unvaccinated children under three months of age.

Causes

The whooping cough It is caused by bacteria and causes an upper respiratory infection.

It is a highly contagious disease due to the secretions of the infected person when they cough or sneeze.

Systematic vaccination of children has reduced the number of cases of whooping cough. The vaccine does not provide full or permanent protection, so it still remains a potential threat, especially for children under 2 months of age.

Symptoms

When the illness begins, the symptoms are similar to a cold: fever, cough, malaise and runny or even a cold. 10-12 days after the onset of symptoms, the characteristic cough begins, in bursts and with a typical inspiratory noise at the end of each coughing spell (called the inspiratory "rooster"). Many times the cough is so strong that it can lead to vomiting.

The infection is long, with a very persistent and resistant cough that can last up to 6 weeks or more (in the East this disease is known as the "100-day disease").

In babies it is a potentially dangerous disease because it can cause apneas and suffocation.

Treatment

antibiotics are used to shorten the duration of the illness and to prevent it from being contagious. antibiotics are most effective in the early stages of the disease.

In general, cough medicines are not very effective.

In some cases, the infection can be complicated by pneumonia.

The best prevention is DTPa vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) from two months of age.

Pediatric Specialist