Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
What is Pertusis
Pertussis can cause serious illness in children and adults and can even be life-threatening for babies. Coughing fits due to pertussis infection usually last from 1 to 6 weeks, but can go on for up to 10 weeks or more. In 2010, 27,550 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) were reported in the U.S., but many more go undiagnosed and unreported. In some countries, this disease is called the 100 days' cough or cough of 100 days.
The figure shows a boy infected by the Pertussis
Effects
Pertussis can cause serious illness in infants, children and adults. The disease starts like the common cold, with runny nose or congestion, sneezing, and maybe mild cough or fever. But after 1–2 weeks, severe coughing can begin. The coughing may interfere with breathing and can cause vomiting. Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from the lungs and you are forced to inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. They may instead have life-threatening pauses in breathing (apnea).
The chart shows the number of cases reported at the Sonoma County, USA.
Ways to prevent
- To prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated.
- Parents can also help protect infants by keeping them away as much as possible from anyone who has cold symptoms or is coughing. But vaccination effect didn’t last long, only up to 5-10 years.
The figure shows the children facing diffuclties to sleep at night