Pertussis
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Definition: Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a severe bacterial infection of the respiratory tract (lungs, and breathing tubes.) The bacterium responsible for pertussis is Bordetella pertussis, which can be caught by inhaling droplets in the air from a cough or sneeze of the person infected with pertussis, making it very contagious. Also, it can be caught by touching a contaminated object with the bacteria on it.
Symptoms: The time of the incubation period, time between contracting the infection and noticing symptoms, is 5-15 days. The cough, sometimes lasting over a minute, eventually brings up thick mucus, causing some children to turn blue from a lack of oxygen. After this coughing spell, the child will usually begin to gasp for air creating a “whooping” sound (how pertussis received its other name whooping cough.) Infants may not whoop as loud or at all as older children do. Because the symptoms of pertussis are similar to that of bronchitis, a doctor will usually take a culture of respiratory fluids for examination in the laboratory. When doing this the doctor will take a sample of secretions from the nose or throat and identifying the pertussis bacteria in the secretions. A chest X-ray and blood test may also be done.
  • Runny Nose
  • Nasal Congestion
  • Sneezing
  • Red and Watery Eyes
  • Mild Fever
  • Dry Cough that turns into a Wet Cough after 1 to 2 weeks
  • Vomiting (during severe coughing spells)


Top Five Countries where Pertussis is the Most Prevalent:
  1. India- For every 36,745 people there is one person infected
  2. United States of America- For every 34,542 there is one person infected
  3. Russian Federation- For every 11,653 people there is one person infected
  4. Australia- For every 4,008 people one person is infected
  5. Madagascar- For every 2,182 people there is one person infected

Map of the Top 5 Countries
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Treatment: The best treatment for pertussis is to prevent or weaken the disease by receiving the vaccine. If a person is unable to receive the vaccine and catches pertussis a common antibiotic called erythromycin is used. This is given in the stages before the severe coughing spells to help lead to a quick recovery, and help prevent contagiousness. It would be taken for 14 days to prevent relapse (the disease coming back.) If a baby has pertussis, they will need to have hospital care. For five days the child will be placed in an isolated room to help let the antibiotic prevent contagiousness. Care for Pertussis in the hospital:
  • Frequent suctioning of the secretions to help allow breathing
  • Humidified oxygen by mask
  • IV fluids to help prevent dehydration
  • IV to feed the baby when they can not eat from their mouth
Once the beginning of the disease is past its life-threatening stage, the child is then able to go home. After the coughing spells the child should then lie down with their feet placed up high so that the mucus in the lungs can drain out. It is important that the child also gets something to drink to help prevent dehydration from the vomiting. Also, using a cool humidifier can help thin and liquefy the thick mucus.
Vaccine: Babies younger than three months old have a better chance of getting the worst cases of pertussis. The coughing makes it difficult for the baby to breathe, nurse, or take a bottle. Seventy percent of deaths due to pertussis occur among young children, especially babies. Unlike many diseases, a child does not receive immunity for pertussis from his or her mother. The vaccination for pertussis is given in the DTP vaccine containing a whole pertussis dead cell or whole bacterium. This not only contains pertussis, but also diphtheria and tetanus. Also, in the UK the DTP also contains the vaccination against Haemophilus influenza. Three doses are given at the ages of two months, four months, and six months. The child will also be vaccinated as a toddler and around the age of 4 to 6. Before entering school, many children are required to have their booster shots, which include the DTaP vaccine. This helps prevent acellular pertussis. With this acellular vaccine the disease produces fewer and milder side effects in children. The acellular vaccine is made up of fewer parts of the pertussis cell. Usually the complications from this vaccination are mild, and do not lead to permanent brain damage or death. Common side effects after the vaccination are a slight fever or pain at the site of administration for a few days. The pertussis vaccine is estimated to be 63% to 94% effective in the DTP shot, and 59% to 90% effective in the DTaP shot. Even though these numbers are high, many people vaccinated can get pertussis, usually as adults and teenagers. These people can have unusual symptoms for whooping cough which can be similar to a bad cold or the flu. These undiagnosed teens and adults can easily spread the infection to young children and babies who have not yet been vaccinated. There are a few children who should not get the vaccination for pertussis (both DTP or DTaP). These are called high risk children or severe reactors. By getting this disease they could suffer from permenant brain damage or death. Reasons not to get the pertussis vaccination:
  • Children over the age of 7
  • Children who have been confirmed by their doctor to have had pertussis in past years
  • Children who are highly sensitive to the components of the vaccine
Serious reactions to the pertussis vaccine often come when a child already has a viral or bacterial infection at the time he is given the vaccine. It is necessary to wait four weeks after a viral or bacterial illness before administering the pertussis vaccine. A doctor should examine the child before the vaccine is administered.
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What's New:      On July 31, 1996 the FDA approved a new pertussis vaccine, the DTaP. This new vaccine, although containing Diphtheria and tetanus, will affect the pertussis component of the vaccine. The other DTP vaccine stood for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. The DTaP vaccine is now diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis. This new vaccine will have fewer side-effects then the DTP vaccine. With the old vaccine, a very small number of children had serious side effects such as convulsions. With studies that have been done on the new vaccine, it had a 69 to 80% effective rate depending on how the experiment was executed.

     Recently, protection from the pertussis booster, which is given to young children, has begun to wear off, and there have been outbreaks of whooping cough in states such as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, and North Dakota. On June 10, 2005 a second booster shot against pertussis gained federal approval. This booster is designed to be administered to adults and teenagers, to maintain the immunity to pertussis. Booster shots manufactured by two companies have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in May. These products were Boostrix, developed by Glaxo Smith Kline for 10 to 18-year-olds, and Adacil , developed by Sanofi-Aventis, for people ages 11 to 64.

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