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Causes of Whooping Cough Essay

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Whooping Cough Cause: Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, is a highly contagious disease affecting the respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs and airways) and is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The ‘whoop’ from the cough derives from the deep breaths at the end of each bout of coughing. Whooping cough is very infectious and affects individuals of all ages. Transmission: Whooping cough is transmitted via close personal contact, uncovered sneezes and coughing from infected people. Whooping cough is also transmitted through the droplets in the air and it can develop from the upper respiratory tract (including the nose, throat and windpipe) infections. Any individuals that are close to infected people may be exposed to …show more content…

The symptoms usually last for at least two weeks or even longer to about several months. Each bout of coughing usually last a minute to two. Symptoms of these include: Severe coughs occur in bouts that also bring up thick phlegm and mucus, Coughing bouts can get worse and be followed by vomiting, choking or taking a big gasping breath which causes a whooping sound. Infants may become very sick and lead them to become blue or stop breathing during coughing attacks and may need to go to hospital. Complications such as pneumonia or middle ear infections are more likely to develop at this time. The third stage (Convalescent) of symptoms starts to decline towards the person. The coughing may start again months later and some people may not even show any symptoms. Mild and Persistant coughs are the only known symptoms during this stage. Treatment: The treatment of Whooping Cough is simple, however it is considered to take antibiotics if diagnosed in the early stages of the catarrhal (First) or early paroxysmal (Second) phase. During its early stages, Symptoms can be reduced by taking antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. For babies under 12months, they need to be treated in hospital and in some cases whooping cough can be treated at home but

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