– Is also known as pertussis – Caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis
– Is also known as pertussis
– Caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis.
– Highly contagious
– Bacteria infects and affects your body’s airway cleaning system, leading to irritation, inflammation, dust/mucus buildup and coughing
– Begins like a normal cold
– Progresses to moments of uncontrollable coughing followed by the “whoop”ing sound when the person inhales
– The bacteria attaches to our cilia cells
– These cilia are responsible for cleaning our airways and sort of sweep away mucus, dust, dead cells and other things that can clog/irritate our breathing.
– It releases poisons that damage our cilia and cause inflammation
– Since the respiratory cleaning function is damaged, dust/mucus builds up, irritating our throat, causing coughing.
– Your chances of getting pertussis greatly increase if you do not get/have the vaccination for it.
– For the first week – 10 days, symptoms are similar to a cold
– Mild coughing
– Sneezing
– Low fever
– Runny nose/nasal congestion
– Red, watery eyes
– Apnea (pause in breathing) (usually babies)
– Possibly some diarrhea
– After 1-2 weeks, symptoms intensify and become more recognizable
– Dry coughing spells
– Coughing is followed by a “whoop” sound when the victim inhales
– Face may turn red or blue/purple while coughing
– In babies, they might not “whoop” or cough, and will gasp for air or stop breathing for a moment (apnea) and possibly vomit.
– Ultimately lasts around 3-6 weeks
– Generally affects infants from 0 – 2 years old.
– Most infants would not have had their complete vaccinations for pertussis
– Because of the apnea pertussis causes in infants, whooping cough can be deadly for them, and they often need go to a hospital/seek professional treatment
– Usually affects non-vaccinated people
– Unvaccinated children were 14 times more likely to get pertussis
– Older children and adults will generally make a full recovery
General:
– Drink more water since the dry whooping cough will leave your respiratory tract dehydrated
– Antibiotics are used as soon as possible to stop the spread of the infection, reducing inflammation
– Keep tables and air clean of contaminants or dust that could worsen the effects of pertussis
– Eat smaller portions to prevent vomiting or use dietary supplements to make up for the lack of food
– Prevent spread of disease (ex: cover your mouth when you cough)
– Do not use cough medicine, it is useless, unless instructed to by a doctor/physician.
Hospital treatment:
– Using suction to clean airways of mucus/dust
– Intravenous (IV) is sometimes used to keep the patient hydrated
Alternatives
– Aromatherapy
– Hydrotherapy
– Fruit, vegetables, juices
Vaccinations
– One of the best ways to prevent pertussis. The vaccine, called DTaP, is usually given in five stages:
– 2 months
– 4 months
– 6 months
– 15 to 18 months
– 4 to 6 years
– After adolescence, people are recommended to get a booster shot about every 10 years as the immunity for the first vaccinations wear off.
– Pregnant women should get the vaccine from 27-36 weeks pregnant, keeping her and the baby safe
Antibiotics
– The antibiotics do not instantly heal you, but reduce the bacteria’s spread and inflammation.
– It helps to reduce many of the severe symptoms of pertussis such as the violent cough as your airways un-swell.
Vaccinations
– The first set of vaccinations wear off after ~10 years, requiring you to get booster shots.
– If you continue this schedule of immunization, the chances of you being affected by pertussis are low, bubt possible.
– The vaccine protects you from it, and lowers your chance of spreading it to others.
– Very rarely, the bacteria may develop a resistance to the vaccine
Alternatives
– Some of the alternatives like natural based ones, or aromatherapy may help relieve symptoms but the vaccine and antibiotics are the most important in prevention and treatment
Vaccination side effects are mostly mild and cause little harm
– Fever
– Crankiness
– Headache
– Fatigue
– Soreness at injection site.
