Pertussis is a severe respiratory infection characterized by acute coughing attacks accompanied by breathing difficulties and wheezing in the chest. Whooping cough was considered since ancient times and before the development of its own vaccine as a disease that affects children in general, but now and after the availability of the vaccine, we find that the disease affects infants who did not receive full doses of the vaccine assigned to them, in addition to adults who suffer from a weak immune system work.
Knowing the details of the disease, its symptoms, methods of treatment and prevention, it avoids infants and mothers from the disease, which can be fatal at times. Here is the most important information about whooping cough.
What are the symptoms of whooping cough?
The disease does not appear immediately on the patient, as symptoms of the disease appear approximately 7-10 days after the normal situation, and its symptoms are initially moderate and similar to the common cold, and they are:
Runny and nasal congestion
Redness of the eyes
High fever (read about methods for treating a fever according to its causes)
cough.
But about a week after the symptoms begin to get worse, the thick mucus builds up in the air passages causing an uncontrollable cough, which can lead to:
1- Vomiting
2- Redness and cyanosis of the face
3- Extreme fatigue
4- Whistling in the chest when breathing.
These symptoms may not all appear on the person affected, for example adults may develop a severe and frequent cough, while infants may not be able to cough to find them suffering for breathing and sometimes they may stop breathing for a short time. (What should not be overlooked by the health of the infant? Know more)
Whooping cough infection occurs as a result of a bacterial infection. When a person with a whooping cough coughs or sneezes, very small s travel and spread in the air, so that another healthy person inhales them and the enemy moves to it!
Whooping cough: are there complications?
Adults usually recover from whooping cough without any complications in their health, and if they appear, they are side effects due to frequent coughing. These complications include:
Bruises on the ribs
Abdominal hernia
Small blood vessels in the skin are damaged.
The complications that accompany infants who have whooping cough, especially those under six months of age, are more severe, and are:
Pneumonia
Difficulty breathing or interruption
Dryness or weight loss due to difficulty breastfeeding
Brain damage
Seizures of frequent coughing
Remember that due to complications that may be associated with an infected whooping cough, an immediate medical treatment is required.
Whooping cough treatment: This is how it works
As mentioned above, infants with whooping cough require medical intervention, so the child may have to stay in hospital to receive the necessary treatment. As for older children and adults, there may be no need for medical intervention, according to the health status of each individual.
Whooping cough can be treated at home through
Get plenty of rest
Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
Divide meals into small meals to avoid vomiting after coughing.
Make sure to clean the air of the home from cough stimuli, such as smoking.
Covering the mouth during sneezing and coughing, as well as washing hands frequently, to prevent spreading the infection to others.
How do we protect ourselves from whooping cough?
The best way to avoid a whooping cough is to receive its own vaccine, which is given by doctors with two other vaccines, diphtheria and tetanus, and doctors usually recommend taking these vaccinations for infants, that is, in the following age groups:
Two months old
Four months old
Six-month-old
Between 15-18 months
Between 4 and 6 years.
As for adults, they can receive the vaccine again to protect themselves, especially pregnant women between the ages of 27-36 weeks of pregnancy. (Learn the most important pregnancy tests and how to do them)
