The deadly cough that is making a comeback decades later

Photo Credits: Sebastian Kaulitzki via Shutterstock, Examiner.com

Name
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Transmission

• Only in humans
• Caused by the bacteria called Bordetella pertussis
• Highly contagious and spread through respiratory particles/droplets (these particles are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can be inhaled by others)

Geography
Worldwide

Incubation Period
7 – 10 days after infection

Signs and Symptoms
Phase One

• Fever
• Mild cough
• Runny nose

Phase Two

• Severe cough and coughing fits
• Whooping/wheezing after coughing
• Exhaustion after coughing
• Vomiting after coughing

Diagnosis
Laboratory testing of mucous or blood sample

Treatment

• There are vaccines available
• Antibiotics

Prognosis

• Infants and young children are at highest risk for serious complications and death
• Can be deadly for babies less than a year old
• Without complications, pertussis takes several weeks to gradually resolve, though coughing can persist for several months

Prevention: What Can You Do?

• Get the vaccine (there is a children’s vaccine and an adult booster vaccine)
• Avoid contact with materials and surfaces that may be contaminated
• Practice good hygiene by washing your hands, covering your mouth/nose when you cough or sneeze, and properly disposing all used tissues

Pertussis In the News

• Why Pertussis Is Making a Comeback
• More than 150 cases of whooping cough reported in Sydney by March 2016
• Study: vaccine refusers helped spark recent measles and whooping cough outbreaks

Sources:
http://www.who.int/topics/pertussis/en/
http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/index.html