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Friday, December 27, 2013

Whooping Cough: Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention

Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is a bacterial infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. The illness typically targets a person’s respiratory system. Whooping cough is a common illness in very young infants and children that have not been vaccinated.

It is difficult to diagnose whooping cough during the early stages of the illness because the infection shares many symptoms with the common cold: a runny nose, fever, cough, and sneezing. However, the mild cough progresses into full-blown coughing after a week or two. The more serious coughing fits can last for over a minute, making it difficult to breathe. After a coughing fit, the sick person typically makes a “whooping” sound as he or she gasps for air.

If your child starts to exhibit symptoms of whooping cough, be sure to bring him or her to a pediatrician. The pediatrician will then confirm the disease by taking a history of symptoms or taking fluid samples for a laboratory test. If the presence of whooping cough is confirmed, the pediatrician will prescribe antibiotics.

Fortunately, the disease can be prevented by having your child vaccinated with the DTaP vaccine. Public health officials advise parents to make sure their children have received all five doses of the DTaP vaccine before the child reaches six years of age. The vaccine is readily available in all pediatric practices.

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