Whooping Cough/ Pertussis
Most Prevalent Whooping Cough is most prevalent in babies younger than 6 months old or kids that are 11-18 years old. It is most prevalent in these age groups because babies younger than 6 months don’t have the immunizations yet, and kids 11-18 immunization has started to fade.
Description Whooping cough is an infection of the respiratory system caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough causes severe, highly contagious, coughing spells, which makes it very difficult to breathe. It is referred to as whooping cough because people need to take deep breaths after a coughing incident, and it results in a whooping sound. Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but mainly affects babies, and can be very serious, and even fatal. According to CDC, half …show more content…
Babies can get apnea, which is a pause in the child’s breathing pattern. Since the symptoms aren’t that noticeable, it is not often diagnosed until the more severe symptoms appear. Later stage symptoms of whooping cough include paroxysms, many rapid coughs caused by a high pitch whoop sound, vomiting, or exhaustion. The extreme coughing can make you throw up, or be extremely tired and worsens as the illness continues. The cough can last up to 10 weeks, but the “whoop” is often not there when you have a milder case of whooping cough, prevalent in adults or mid teens.
Causes Whooping cough is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella Pertussis. These bacteria attach to cilia that line part of the upper respiratory system, and release toxins that damage the cilia and cause the airways to swell. Whooping cough is very contagious and usually spreads by spending a lot of time near someone who coughs or sneezes; babies tend to get the disease from caretakers or parents. People stay contagious up to about 2 weeks, but vaccines are the most effective tool and are 100% effective.
Diagnosis and
Most Prevalent Whooping Cough is most prevalent in babies younger than 6 months old or kids that are 11-18 years old. It is most prevalent in these age groups because babies younger than 6 months don’t have the immunizations yet, and kids 11-18 immunization has started to fade.
Description Whooping cough is an infection of the respiratory system caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough causes severe, highly contagious, coughing spells, which makes it very difficult to breathe. It is referred to as whooping cough because people need to take deep breaths after a coughing incident, and it results in a whooping sound. Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but mainly affects babies, and can be very serious, and even fatal. According to CDC, half …show more content…
Babies can get apnea, which is a pause in the child’s breathing pattern. Since the symptoms aren’t that noticeable, it is not often diagnosed until the more severe symptoms appear. Later stage symptoms of whooping cough include paroxysms, many rapid coughs caused by a high pitch whoop sound, vomiting, or exhaustion. The extreme coughing can make you throw up, or be extremely tired and worsens as the illness continues. The cough can last up to 10 weeks, but the “whoop” is often not there when you have a milder case of whooping cough, prevalent in adults or mid teens.
Causes Whooping cough is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella Pertussis. These bacteria attach to cilia that line part of the upper respiratory system, and release toxins that damage the cilia and cause the airways to swell. Whooping cough is very contagious and usually spreads by spending a lot of time near someone who coughs or sneezes; babies tend to get the disease from caretakers or parents. People stay contagious up to about 2 weeks, but vaccines are the most effective tool and are 100% effective.
Diagnosis and