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Whooping Cough
Whooping cough (http://www.cdc.gov/doc.do/id/0900f3ec80228696), or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection.Pertussis was a major cause of childhood deaths in the early 1900s.Routine vaccination has been very successful at decreasing morbidity and mortality due to pertussis.
Pertussis is very serious in young children, with pneumonia being the most common complication.Adults and adolescents usually have milder symptoms without the characteristic "whoop," but are important in the epidemiology of the disease since they often spread the disease to others.
The first symptoms are similar to those of a common cold: a runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough.The symptoms may progress to severe coughing fits particularly at night, with “whooping” (primarily inchildren), and vomiting after coughing.The cough associated with pertussis usually lasts several weeks.
During 2004, the Chicago Metropolitan Area experienced a large pertussis outbreak, as did the rest of the United States.Adolescents whose immunity had waned since their childhood immunizations were primarily affected, and 65 schools within suburban CookCounty had cases of whooping cough.This disease is still circulating in the community.
Early childhood pertussis vaccines provide protection when children are most susceptible to serious illness.Every child should receive doses of the pertussis vaccine at 2, 4, 6, and 15 months and then a booster at 4-6 years of age.
Additionally adults and adolescents should be vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones from pertussis.In 2005, two new vaccines became available for prevention of pertussis in adolescents and adults: Boostrix® (for ages 10 - 18 years) and Adacel™ (for ages 11 - 64 years).Contact your regular healthcare provider for more information.
Do you want to know more about whooping cough? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about whooping cough.
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