Whooping cough, it's highly contagiuos

Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system. It is also known as Pertussis. The infection causes irritation in breathing passages, resulting in severe coughing spells. The illness can have three distinct stages and can last months.

Causes:

Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.

The bacterium is transmitted in tiny droplets that come from the nose and mouth during coughing or sneezing and is spread from person to person.

Whooping cough is highly contagious. Between 75%-100% of unimmunized household contacts of a person with pertussis will develop the disease.

Symptoms: This disease has three stages.

Stage 1: The first stage begins about 10 days after infection. An infected person is most contagious during this stage.

Common cold - sneezing

Watery eyes
Tiredness
Loss of appetite.
Dry hacking cough.
Sometimes a mild fever

Stage 2: The second stage occurs after 10 to 14 days. This is the most serious stage of whooping cough, usually lasting from 2 to 4 weeks or longer.

Cough gets worse. It changes from a dry, hacking cough to bursts of uncontrollable.
Breathing problem during coughing.
Vomiting
Severe exhaustion

Stage 3: Although the person improves and gains strength, the cough may become louder and sound worse. This final stage may last longer in people who have never received the whooping cough vaccine. The usual total course of the disease lasts 6 to 10 weeks.

When to contact doctor:

If your child has been exposed to someone with whooping cough, regardless of whether the child has received immunization shots.
If your child turns blue during a coughing spell.
If your child has a fever that cannot be controlled with over-the-counter medication.
If your child is unable to keep solids and liquids down (vomits).

Whooping cough among adults: Since many people reach adulthood without having been infected, it's entirely possible for adults to develop whooping cough. Based on the medical literature, 0.5 percent of all adults contract whooping cough each year. And as we all know the disease is most dangerous among infants and young children, one-quarter of adults who contract whooping cough have some type of complication, such as broken ribs or an abdominal hernia. Adults with pertussis are especially treated with antibiotics, which are ineffective against viruses. The symptoms of whooping cough may resemble those of bronchitis.

Prevention:

Practice good hand washing.Whooping coughbacteria can be transmitted through contact with contaminated inanimate objects such as dishes.
Infants, teenagers and adults should be vaccinated against whooping cough.
The vaccine should be given to infants at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months of age.
A booster dose should also be given when the child is between 4 and 6 years of age and another booster between 14 and 16 years of age.
In 2005, the U.S. government approved Tdap, the first pertussis booster shot for children 10 to 18 years of age.
For adults 19-64 years, the ACIP recommends a single dose of Tdap.
If someone in the family is infected, everyone in the household should be treated with antibiotics.

Treatment:

Antibiotics are most effective if given early in the first phase of the illness.

All close contacts younger than 7 years who have not completed their primary vaccinations (including the DTaP to prevent pertussis) should complete this series with the minimum time between shots.
Close contacts younger than 7 years who have completed their primary series but have not received a booster of DTaP within three years of exposure should be given the booster dose.
Exposed adults should be vaccinated with Tdap.

Home care:

Drink plenty of fluids, including water, juices, soups, and eat fruits to prevent dehydration.
Eat small, frequent meal to decrease the amount of vomiting.
Do not give cough medications unless otherwise instructed by your doctor.
Use a cool mist vaporizer to help loosen secretions and soothe the cough.
Keep the home environment free from irritants that can trigger coughing, such as smoke, aerosols, and fumes.

So don't forget to get your child routine immunizations in order to protect against whooping cough. You should also wash your hands frequently and keep your child away from people who have a bad cough. Once you recognize the symptoms of Whooping Cough don't forget to contact doctor.

Statistics:

Whooping cough is the most common vaccine-preventable disease among children younger than 5 years in the United States.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prior to the introduction of the pertussis vaccine, there was an average of 175,000 cases of whooping cough each year. This dropped off to fewer than 3,000 cases per year in the 1980s; however, in the U.S. alone, a total of 25,827 cases of pertussis were reported in 2004.
An increasing number of cases of whooping cough have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the 1980s. The increases are greatest among adolescents (aged 10-19 years), but an increase is also seen among infants younger than 5 months old.
In Canada, 1 to 3 Canadians die each year from whooping cough.

(Sources: diseases.emedtv.com, bodyandhealth.canada.com, canada.com, emedicinehealth.com, healthyontario.com)