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What is Whooping Cough (Pertussis)?
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly
contagious disease of the respiratory tract caused by Bordetella pertussis, a
bacteria that lives in the mouth, nose, and throat.
Symptoms of Whooping cough
Many children who contract Pertussis have coughing spells that last four to
eight weeks. The disease is most dangerous in infants and spreads easily from
person to person, mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing.
The first symptoms generally appear 7 to 10 days after infection, and include mild
fever, runny nose, and cough, which in typical cases gradually develops into a
paroxysmal cough followed by whooping (hence the common name of whooping cough).
In youngest infants, the paroxysms may be followed by periods of apnoea.
Pneumonia is a relatively common complication; seizures and encephalopathy occur
more rarely. Untreated patients may be contagious for three weeks or more
following onset of the cough. Pertussis can be prevented by immunization.
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Complications & Treatment of Whooping Cough
Prevention through Vaccination
For several decades, infant immunization programmes around the world have
been highly successful in using pertussis vaccines of documented quality to
prevent severe pertussis in infants. WHO estimates that in 2008 global
vaccination against pertussis prevented approximately 687 000 deaths.
The main aim of pertussis vaccination is to reduce the risk of severe
pertussis in infancy. The ongoing priority of immunization programmes worldwide
is to vaccinate at least 90 percent of infants with three doses of high-quality
pertussis vaccine.
WHO recommends the first dose be administered as early as 6 weeks of age; with
subsequent doses given 48 weeks apart, at age 1014 weeks and 1418 weeks.
Although vaccination can prevent pertussis in adolescents and adults, there is
insufficient evidence that vaccine boosters in these age groups can reduce
severe pertussis in infants. When a country implements a programme for adults,
vaccination of health care workers should be prioritized, especially those with
direct contact with pregnant mothers and infant patients.
Vaccination of pregnant women is likely to be the most cost-effective additional
strategy for preventing disease in infants too young to be vaccinated and
appears to be more effective and favourable than cocooning.
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Complications & Treatment of Whooping Cough
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