Whooping cough, known as pertussis in the medical term, is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It is one of the main causes of childhood death under 2 years old and in 2016, there are about 18,000 cases of pertussis with 7 deaths in the United States.
This disease is characterized by a progressive and uncontrollable cough. Most of the time it is accompanied with changes in the sound quality of an affected infant and causes difficulty in breathing.
Pertussis is a very contagious condition and it spreads via respiratory droplets (airborne) via sneezing or coughing. Infected individuals are highly contagious during the illness period. Most of the time, the infant will get the infection from the older siblings, parents or individuals that share the same breathing space with them.
Signs and Symptoms
The average incubation period of pertussis is about 5 to 10 days and it usually starts as a flu-like condition and the child may experience:
Runny nose (rhinorrhea)
Fever
Minimal cough
As the initial symptoms are nonspecific and with the vaccination is widely available, pertussis cases are less seen and this can cause the diagnosis to be missed without taking a proper and detailed medical history and physical examination.
As the disease progresses, the patient might show more severe symptoms and signs after a week or two of the disease, such as:
Apnea (sudden shortness or pause of breathing)
Cyanosis (blue or purplish changes of mucosa due to lack of oxygen and this can be seen in the tongue, lips or fingers)
Extreme fatigue or not active
A high-pitched “whoop” during the next inspiration phase (paroxysmal cough)
Some of the patients may not develop a whooping sound and no cough at all but instead, they are struggling to breath or stop breathing completely. If you see your child is breathing rapidly and having a fever, it is best to bring them to the hospital.
Prevention
Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease. That is why we did not see many to none pertussis cases today as the vaccine is widely available and it is included in the national immunization program.
The vaccine used for pertussis today is a trivalent vaccine which covers 3 diseases in a single shot, which is diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP). Like any other vaccine, it is not 100% protective against the diseases but it can reduce the risk of getting the complications of the disease or the symptoms are not as bad as the unvaccinated individuals.
In Malaysia DTaP vaccine is given at 2, 3 and 5 months of age and the time of administration of the vaccine varies according to the country’s local guidelines.
Therefore it is important to educate and encourage the parents regarding the disease and the importance of vaccination as the best preventive measure against the disease. Bring your child to the clinic or hospital whenever it is their turn to be vaccinated.
Complications
So what are the complications of the pertussis if the diagnosis is missed? Due to persistent coughing, the child’s oxygen supply may be decreased and this is indeed dangerous. If left untreated, pertussis can cause dangerous complications such as:
Respiratory failure
Pneumonia (lung infection)
Seizures
Brain hemorrhage (bleeding)
Apnea
Death
It is important to recognize the symptoms of pertussis for both parents and healthcare personnels. Delaying the treatment could cause serious complications and a poor outcome. On top of that, it is important to emphasize the function and the importance of vaccination on how the pertussis vaccine could protect a child against the disease and reduce the risk of complications.
Jorge is a health blog author who has been writing about nutrition, fitness and healthy living for over 10 years. He also loves to run, hike and bike with her wife.
