We brought you a story in December on the rising cases of whooping cough in Northern Kentucky. According to WCPO.com, whooping cough cases have continued to reach “record levels” in Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, mostly among school-age children from 7 to 17 years old. Public health officials are urging parents and children to get vaccinated.
Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause serious illness in infants, children and adults. “Whooping cough starts just like an upper respiratory infection,” said Dr. John LaCount, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office. “During that time it can spread to anyone who comes in contact with the infected person. The problem is that school-age children are initially spreading this within families.”
“Unimmunized children are at particular risk for problems with pertussis and more aggressive treatment and support,” said LaCount. He emphasized that this is a preventable disease and if more children get vaccinated, we may be able to stop the growing numbers. Antibiotics can be used, but if not started in a timely manner the duration of cough symptoms may be prolonged regardless of treatment.
We’ve gathered some tips to help you know what to look for, how to treat it and ways to prevent it.
It usually starts with cold-like symptoms and a mild cough or fever. Many people mistake the symptoms for the common cold. Unlike a cold, whooping cough can become a series of coughing fits that continue for weeks. For someone who is generally healthy, whooping cough is an exhausting, lengthy illness. For infants and people who are ill, whooping cough can be life threatening.
Signs and Symptoms
Early symptoms can last for one to two weeks and usually include:
- Runny nose
- Low-grade fever
- Mild, occasional cough
- Apnea ““ a pause in breathing (in infants)
Later symptoms are more distinct and include:
- Paroxysms (fits) of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched “whoop”
- Vomiting
- Exhaustion after coughing fits
Coughing fits can go on for up to 10 weeks or more, and they can become more common or severe as the illness continues. Recovery from whooping cough happens slowly and can take as long as three months. The disease is sometimes known as the “100 day cough.”
Infants and Children
Whooping cough is most dangerous in infants and young children. Infants may have a symptom known as “apnea” (a pause in the child’s breathing pattern). About half of infants younger than one year of age who get the disease are hospitalized. Of those infants,
- 1 in 4 get pneumonia
- 1 or 2 in 100 will have convulsions
- Two thirds will have apnea
- 1 in 300 will have encephalopathy (a disease of the brain)
- 1 or 2 in 100 will die
Treatment
If a loved one is diagnosed with whooping cough, your treatment options are fairly direct:
- Rest
- Antibiotics
- Symptom relief medications, as directed by a physician
- Cough medications are not usually recommended since the “whooping cough” does not respond to these medications
Prevention: Get Immunized
The best way to prevent whooping cough is to get immunized and make sure family members who interact with infants are also immunized. Make sure to reemphasize the need to thoroughly wash hands to decrease spread. Also, if caring for an infant, keep the baby away from anyone with cough or cold symptoms.
Pregnant women are recommended to have an immunization booster with each pregnancy which helps protect the infant until he or she is of age to receive a separate vaccine. Vaccine protection for whooping cough can decrease with time, so it is important to check with your physician regarding need for a booster vaccine.
Immunization does not always prevent whooping cough symptoms; however, it can dramatically reduce the symptoms and duration of the illness and it may save an infant’s life. You can visit the NKY Health Department website for information on where to get the vaccine. Most doctors’ offices and pharmacies offer the vaccine as well. If you have had a persistent cough, encourage your doctor to obtain testing for pertussis. This can facilitate diagnosis, and treatment of pertussis.
