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
disease get worse over time. It can cause coughing that produces large amount of mucus,
Whooping cough has three stages, each lasting about 2 weeks longs. The individual is contagious from the commencement of the first indication until the end of the second phase or until the enduring is treated with antibiotics. First stage resulting in drippy nose, sneezing, tearing, and low-grade fever; slowness; equitation night-time cough. Second stage resulting in strenuous paroxysms of protracted coughing two to three times an hour that often end with an inspiratory whooping sound or unpleasant and queasiness convoyed by manufacture of copious, viscid, tenacious mucus with cyanosis and apnea. Third stage resulting in difficulties most frequently befall in newborns and very young children; they contain bronchopneumonia, asphyxiation, convulsions,
Whooping cough is a respiratory illness caused by bordetella pertussis bacteria. This bacteria attaches itself to the tiny hairs that line the respiratory system. Once it has attached, it will release toxins that damage and inflame respiratory system.
The clinical manifestations of the disease are usually caused by immune system reaction to the bacteria’s antigen and toxins. The infected individual is usually contagious early in the disease and not during protracted period of cough (Brunner & Suddarth 2010, p.2149). Incubation period: 5-10 days after being exposed and highly communicable during the first 2 weeks after cough onset (CDC, Pertussis, 2015). To further understand signs and symptoms of the progression of whooping cough it was divided intro three different stages:
What is pertussis, commonly known as “whooping cough”? Whooping cough is an infection of the respiratory
Whooping cough is a bacterial upper respiratory infection that leads to episodes of violent coughing. The disease got its name because of the characteristic sound that is made when affected individuals attempt to inhale; the “whoop” originates from the inflammation and swelling of the voice box that vibrates when too much air comes in when one breathes after coughing. (Medline plus) Whooping cough is a very contagious disease. It spreads through close contact that includes a transferring of oral secretions or respiratory droplets from one person to another. So it's easily spread through the cough, especially when people are in close contact, like living in the same house with a person who has whooping cough. It can also spread through sneezes or anything that causes a secretion of respiratory fluids. (CDC) the people whom can be affected are children who have not been immunized or people whose last shot of the immunization was done ten or more years previously. There is evidence that suggests the first outbreaks I whooping cough occurred in the 16th century. The bacterium that causes the infection was not found until the beginning of the 1900's.
Other commonly noticed symptoms are mild fever, nasal congestion, sneezing, nasal discharge, and dry cough. These are not all the symptoms but these are some of the most noticed symptoms people have before they develop whooping cough. To prevent getting a cough in the first place make sure you wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough. Since whooping cough is more common in children you can’t stop them from interacting with other children so you have to educate them on cleanilesness. Also take all the procedures at home and make sure your child doesn’t bring the cough
in children it is often accompanied by a ‘whoop’ sound as the individual tries to inhale.
Whooping cough is a respiratory disease caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. The disease is contageous and spread very rapidly. Though there were vaccines but the bacterium might have resistant of the vaccine. Thus the diseased has spread abruptly. So the disease is considered as emerging infectious disease. Generally the first couple of weeks are infectious in Pertusis. The etiological agent of whooping cough or pertusis is a gram negative aerobic pathogen namely bordetella pertussis. The toxins released by this bacterium include pertussis toxin, haemagglutinin, fimbria and cytotoxin. This is a motile bacterium that can only live in humans, means humans are their only hosts. Whooping cough is an infectious disease that spread through
Action Plan: If a child starts coughing frantically, there are chances that he or she would be able to cough the object back out. On the other hand, if the child experiences difficulty breathing or turns blue, rush him to the doctor. The doctor will get a few tests done and then either pursue the treatment on his own or refer you to an ENT specialist.
The catarrhal phase presents as a non-distinctive respiratory infection and is when the disease is most communicable1. It is followed by the paroxysmal phase, during which time the disease is most often diagnosed due to its characteristic coughing spell followed by a “whoop” and often by vomiting1. Apnea and pneumonia may also be present in children, who may then need assistance in maintaining an open airway1.The last phase is the convalescent phase, which is when the symptoms begin to diminish1. Adults often only have a long-lasting, non-productive cough, which can make it hard to diagnose1. Infants face a greater risk of developing complications and of dying from this disease than adults are, who generally have a good
These signs and symptoms can be divided into three stages and they are catarrhal stage, paroxysmal stage and convalescent stage (Bocka, 2015). Catarrhal is the first stage and may last one to two weeks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The presentation is nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, low-grade fever, tearing and conjunctival suffusion (Bocka, 2015). It is during this stage that it is hard to distinguish from a common upper respiratory infection (Bocka, 2015). The second stage, paroxysmal stage and it can last from one to six weeks, however it may extend up to ten weeks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). This stage produces: posttussive vomiting and turning red with coughing and paroxysms (coughing fits) of intense coughing lasting up to several minutes, occasionally followed by a loud whoop, vomiting and exhaustion after a paroxysms (Bocka, 2015). The whoop sounds occurs in infants older than six months and children, but for those who are younger than six months they have episodes of apnea (Bocka, 2015). The third and final stage, convalescent stage and lasts about two to three weeks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). This stage presents with a chronic cough that may last for weeks (Bocka, 2015). If someone who has been vaccinated get pertussis their cough won’t last as many days, coughing
“Pertussis which is commonly known as whooping cough, is also a respiratory illness caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Before vaccines to prevent the disease were available, pertussis was a major cause of morbidity and mortality in U.S. children (McGuness C. B. & et al 2013)”.
The bacteria is spread by having contact with infected fluid from other people. Through respiratory droplets, the bacteria can be spread a lot faster with the infected person coughing, sneezing or even sometimes being in a small space with an infected person. This pathogen causes its harm by attaching to the cilia and releasing toxins paralyzing the cilia and causes thick mucus to collect in the airways causing them to swell. The time of being expose to showing symptoms of the whooping cough can be from 6-20days.A person is most contagisis for the first sign of any cough or two weeks after the bouts of coughing
On older respiratory disease thought to be controlled for years with the vaccine, has resurfaced. This contagious bacterial, disease is called Pertussis which is caused “by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis.” (CDC, 2015) Pertussis is a respiratory disease which is highly contagious that is contracted after being exposed to sneezing and coughing from an infected person. Symptoms resemble the common cold with accompanied by a persistent, heavy cough. Another name for Pertussis is whooping cough, because of the whooping sound a person makes.