United States: Cases of whooping cough have ultimately increased more than six times compared to last year. In the week ending December 7, 553 cases were reported, compared to almost like 105 cases during the same week last year.
Whooping cough, which is also called pertussis or the “100-day cough”, is a very severe disease that causes persistent and consistent coughing fits and makes it hard to breathe. It is really very highly contagious and can also lead to severe illness or even death, especially in infants, who may show less obvious symptoms.
It’s important to stay aware of whooping cough and protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated, especially babies and young children.
However, a vaccine given to all pregnant women and newborn provides fairly good protection against the disease during infancy.
As reported by the Forbes.com, this is because it is manifested in different ways in children, which will be analyzed below, and can be dangerous at different times in adulthood.
Whooping cough starts as cold as symptoms before becoming more severe one to two weeks after being infected. Antibiotics are beneficial in cutting disease incidence but only if taken within the first two weeks after getting infected.
Washing the hands, using a covering when coughing, or sneezing, or follow other basic practices that can discourage the passing of whooping cough.
Protection against the spread of the illness can be received only by a vaccination and it can also decrease the symptoms’ severity.
The Early signs and symptoms in babies.
Whooping cough is at its most dangerous when the child is 12 months or younger and may present like a cold illness.
For some babies it will be like a cold from start to finish of the illness in question. However, for other people, worse symptoms will develop.
Children specifically infants cannot produce the specific type of coughing that may grow in the younger children and even adults.
Instead, they may suffer from apnea — pause in breathing which may lead to fatal consequences.
This means that oxygen cannot circulate easily in the body and can cause the skin, lips, tongue, ear lobes or lips of Caucasian babies to turn blue.
Dark skin babies may brown out their lips, tongue, ears, skin and change to grey. Parents and careers with babies who are of a darker skin tone may notice older grey sooner on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, lips, gum and inside the eyelids.
Babies may also develop pneumonia — which may be characterized by chest pain that worsens when a child breathes or coughs — seizures and dehydration.