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PrintWhooping Cough: It's Back!
How You Can Protect Your Family
Dr. Jesse Hsieh
Pertussis, a pretty nasty disease, also known as whooping cough, has been seen in our area recently.
In the United States, pertussis epidemics occur every three to five years. Since the most recent epidemic was in 2005 (25,616 reported cases), it looks like we’re about due, but the good news is if you’re immunized, you’re in good shape. In the first half of the 20th century, whooping cough was a leading cause of childhood illness and death in the US. After the vaccine came out, cases declined to a low in the mid-1970s; since then it’s been rising—some think ever since the 20/20 News show claiming that the vaccine causes brain damage. Even though that has since been debunked, the rate of immunization has dropped.
Also, the pertussis vaccine you receive as a child eventually wears off, leaving most teenagers and adults susceptible to the infection during an outbreak. They’ll need a booster -- hence the below recommendations. In addition, children aren't fully immune to whooping cough until they've received at least three shots, leaving those six months and younger at greatest risk of contracting the infection.
Symptoms and Complications
Whooping cough is a very contagious respiratory tract infection. Once infected, it takes three to twelve days for symptoms to appear. They're usually mild at first and resemble a common cold: runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, red, watery eyes, a mild fever and a dry cough.
After a week or two, it gets worse. In a bad case of it, there’s a terrible hacking cough followed by a high-pitched breath that sounds like "whoop." Severe, unstoppable coughing attacks bring up thick phlegm, cause vomiting, with a red or blue face, extreme fatigue and a high-pitched "whoop" sound during the next breath of air. However, many people – especially infants and adolescents – don't develop the characteristic whoop. Sometimes, a persistent hacking cough is the only sign that an adolescent or adult has whooping cough.
Pertussis is a bacteria. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-laden droplets are sprayed into the air and breathed into the lungs of anyone who happens to be nearby. Once inside your airways, the bacteria multiply and produce toxins that interfere with your respiratory tract's ability to sweep away germs. Thick mucus collects inside your airways, causing uncontrollable coughing. Inflammation narrows breathing tubes in your lungs, leaving you gasping for air — sucking in air with a high-pitched "whoop" — after a fit of coughing.
Most people recover from whooping cough with no problems. Complications tend to be the side effects of the horrible coughing, such as bruised, cracked ribs. In infants, especially those under six months of age, complications from whooping cough are more severe, can be life-threatening and include pneumonia, slowed or stopped breathing, dehydration, seizures and brain damage.
So, diagnosing whooping cough early can be difficult because the symptoms are those of other common illnesses, such as a cold. Sometimes, a nose or throat culture can be done. Antibiotics can be prescribed that kill the bacteria. Close contacts, such as family members or teammates of infected patients may be given preventive antibiotics. Unfortunately, not much is available to relieve the cough. Over-the-counter cough medicines, for instance, have little effect on whooping cough and are discouraged.
New School Immunization Requirements
All Indiana doctors recently received this notice from the Indiana State Health Commissioner:
“New school immunization requirements for the 2010-2011 school year:
Students entering grades six through twelve must have appropriate documentation of the following vaccinations (in addition to the previously required immunization):
· Tdap – for Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis
· MCV4- for Meningitis and
· Two Varicella (Chickenpox) vaccines
In addition, children entering preschool or kindergarten at an accredited K-12 school (not daycare centers) must now have two appropriately documented varicella vaccines, separated by at least three months, and a fourth polio vaccine on or after the fourth birthday, with six months separating the 3rd and 4th doses of vaccine.
“The documentation must include the student’s name and date of birth, the vaccine given and date (month/day/year) of each immunization and the signature of a medical provider.”
So, get vaccinated. It’s better than coughing for weeks, being a pariah and that’s just the pertussis. We didn’t even get into the meningitis brain infection vaccine, or the shingles you can get from having chickenpox.
