In the News - Whooping Cough

I saw an article this morning about how some infants here in Texas caught Whooping Cough from a nurse in 2004: 11 infants caught whooping cough from nurse.

I read the article and it just talks about the investigation and doesn't go much into what Whooping Cough is, so I thought I'd research and let you know!

First, let me start off my telling you I am no expert. I am a parent who likes to inform herself. I do research before telling you about a topic and I try to link several sources for information in all my news articles that I post.

That said, I found a website, Whooping Cough Information, that is a really good resource. It was created by Dr. Doug Jenkinson, a family doctor in England. He has personally dealt with 700 cases of Whooping cough. But, before we go into the symptoms of Whooping Cough, I wanted to know what it IS exactly.

So, per WebMD, Whooping Cough is: "Whooping cough (or pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system-specifically, the area where the nasal passages meet the back of the throat (nasopharynx). The infection causes irritation in breathing passages, resulting in severe coughing spells. The illness can have three distinct stages and can last months.

"Complications like pneumonia can result from whooping cough. These kinds of problems can be very serious in young children, especially babies who are born early or who have not been immunized. Older adults are also more likely than other people to have problems caused by whooping cough.

"The infection easily spreads from person to person through respiratory secretions or mucus, which can be emitted during coughing or sneezing. The incubation period is about 7 to 14 days, meaning that symptoms start about 1 to 2 weeks after exposure to the bacteria"

Per KidsHealth.org, Whooping Cough is: "is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (or B. pertussis). It's characterized by severe coughing spells that end in a "whooping" sound when the person breathes in. Before a vaccine was available, pertussis killed 5,000 to 10,000 people in the United States each year. Now, the pertussis vaccine has reduced the annual number of deaths to less than 30."

So, what are the symptoms?

According to Whooping Cough Information: "It usually starts as a sore throat with a mild feeling of tiredness and being unwell, that within 2 or 3 days turns into a (usually) dry, intermittent "ordinary" cough. This persists, but may wax and wane over the next 7 to 10 days by which time the cough may become a little productive of small amounts of sticky clear phlegm, and occasional intense bouts of choking coughing start to occur."

That's when the major symptoms start. They include (according to WebMD):

Stage 1: Coldlike symptoms-such as sneezing, runny nose, mild coughing, watery eyes, and sometimes a mild fever-last from several days to 2 weeks. An infected person is most contagious during this stage.

Stage 2: Coldlike symptoms fade, but the cough gets worse. It changes from a dry, hacking cough to bursts of uncontrollable, often violent coughing. During a coughing episode, it may be temporarily impossible to take a breath because of the intensity and repetition of coughs. When finally able to breathe, the person may take in a sudden gasp of air through airways narrowed by inflammation, and this sometimes causes a whooping noise. Vomiting and severe exhaustion often follow a coughing spell. But between coughing episodes, the infected person often appears normal. This is the most serious stage of whooping cough, usually lasting from 2 to 4 weeks or longer.

Stage 3: Although the person improves and gains strength, the cough may become louder and sound worse. Coughing spells may occur off and on for weeks to months and may flare up if a cold or other upper respiratory illness develops. This final stage may last longer in people who have never received the whooping cough vaccine.

Interestingly enough according to Dr. Jenkinson, "The crucial point for clinical diagnosis is attacks of severe choking cough separated by long intervals of NO COUGHING AT ALL. There is immense variation in severity and duration of the illness. MOST CASES GO UNDIAGNOSED BECAUSE THE PHYSICIAN NEVER HEARS THE PATIENT COUGH AND CANNOT BELIEVE IT IS AS SEVERE AS HE/SHE IS BEING TOLD. AND LISTENING WITH A STETHOSCOPE INDICATES NORMAL LUNGS IN WHOOPING COUGH!"

So, how do you PREVENT Whooping Cough? Well, according to KidsHealth.org, "Whooping cough can be prevented with the pertussis vaccine, which is part of the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis) immunization. DTaP immunizations are routinely given in five doses before a child's sixth birthday. To give additional protection in case immunity fades, the AAP now recommends that kids ages 11-18 get a booster shot of the new combination vaccine (called Tdap), ideally when they're 11 or 12 years old, instead of the Td booster routinely given at this age. As is the case with all immunization schedules, there are important exceptions and special circumstances. Your child's doctor will have the most current information.

"Experts believe that up to 80% of nonimmunized family members will develop whooping cough if they live in the same house as someone who has the infection. For this reason, anyone who comes into close contact with a person who has pertussis should receive antibiotics to prevent spread of the disease. Young children who have not received all five doses of the vaccine may require a booster dose if exposed to an infected family member."

I know there is an ongoing debate about the riskiness of vaccinating your children. My PERSONAL OPINION is that if I can prevent a disease from harming my child, I want them vaccinated against it. This is one reason my daughter WILL BE GETTING the HPV Vaccine when she is old enough. I have talked to my Pediatrician about the risks of vaccination but they are heavily outweighed by the benefits. But that's another post... :-)

I hope you find this information helpful!