What's merely annoying for adults can be a killer for infants. Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is easily spread through droplets in the air. Once infected, pertussis incubates for seven to ten days. Initially symptoms are similar to those of a common cold, but then eventually progress to a repetitive cough associated with a "whoop." Contrary to popular belief, it's not the cough that makes the sound. It's the attempt to catch one's breath that does. When infants get whooping cough, they cough so long they have a hard time drawing in air. They might gag, turn blue or vomit. When they can finally take that breath of air, they whoop. Diagnosis is often based on clinical symptoms and history. However, not all babies will have the characteristic symptoms and whoop, making it more difficult to diagnose (specifically in younger infants). A nasopharyngeal swab, which is obtained by going through the nose to the back of the throat, can confirm it. Treatment is a course of antibiotics, which may shorten the duration of the illness, but is mostly to prevent the spread of the infection. One in 10 children will end up with pneumonia as a complication of pertussis. Of that, 85 percent are infants less than 3-months old. One in 50 will experience seizures. One in 250 will develop encephalopathy, an abnormal functioning of the brain. More than half of infants less than 1-year will have to be hospitalized. Pertussis is one of the most preventable diseases, merely by being vaccinated. After the vaccine became available in 1940, pertussis cases across the U.S. dropped from around 200,000 a year to as low as 1,000 a year by 1976. In the 1980's we began to see an increase again. In 2007, there were approximately 10,000 cases and 10 reported deaths. It was discovered that the vaccine essentially wears off, so in order to remain protected from pertussis, booster shots are recommended for people ages 11-65. The booster shot became available in 1991, but in 2005 the Centers for Disease Control combined pertussis with the tetanus booster, making it a one-shot stop that people receive every seven years. It's an inactivated vaccine, which means people do not get whooping cough from it. Pregnant women or women who have recently given birth should be given a one-time dose to protect their newborn. Women can ask for it before they even leave the hospital. Children should have five doses of the vaccine by the time they are
4-years-old. The vaccination schedule is 2-months, 4-months, 6-months,
between 12-18 months, 4-years, and booster shots beginning at age
11. According to the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, in 2004 only 65.5 percent of Harris County children ages 18-months to 3-years had received the recommended series of all childhood vaccines. The national estimate, according to the Centers for Disease Control, was 80.9 percent. That same year, there were 89 confirmed cases of pertussis in Harris County, compared with 41 in 2003. Many of these cases were in adults, but either way, it is unvaccinated people who pose the biggest threat to infants. Have you and your family been vaccinated? Symptoms of whooping cough: Complications of whooping cough in infants: Recommended vaccination schedule: |
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