Randolph County Health Departments
06/15/04

Randolph County Health Department has received confirmation of 2 cases of Pertussis is Randolph County

Click here for a FAQ on Pertusis

Whooping Cough is a serious bacterial infection of the respiratory system it was named after the “whoop” sound children and adults make when they try to breathe in during or after a severe coughing spell. It is spread by bacteria found in the mouth, nose and throat of an infected person. Undiagnosed mild disease in older children, adolescents and adults contributes to the spread of the illness among infants and young children.

Symptoms appear between 6 to 21 days with the average of 7 to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria. The contagious period is from 7 days following exposure to 3 weeks after onset of severe coughing spells. It is most contagious during the first two to three weeks of infection.

The first symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a common cold, with a runny nose, dry cough and mild fever. These symptoms can last up to 2 weeks followed by increasingly severe coughing spells. After about 1 to 2 weeks coughing begins to occur in spells that may last for over a minute. Between coughing spells, the child may gasp for air in characteristic “whooping sound,” although infants may not “whoop” as do older children. Severe coughing spells can cause a child to turn blue in the face and vomit. Infants may stop breathing for a few seconds. The coughing attacks

may last for many months in the “classic illness” or just a few days in the mild form of the disease. Pneumonia is the most common complication and cause of pertussis-related deaths. Young infants are at highest risk for pertussis-related complications, including seizures, swelling of the brain and severe ear infection.

Confirmed cases of Pertussis are treated with antibiotics and patients are advised to take all prescribed medication and avoid contact with anyone, particularly infants and children. Experts believe that 70% to 100% of non-immunized family members will probably develop whooping cough if they live in the same household as someone who has the infection. For this reason, persons living in the same household are usually given prophylactic antibiotics.

Prevention comes in the form of the DTaP vaccine recommended by both the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics and should be administered in 5 doses: at 2, 4, 6 and 15-18months of age and 4 to 6 years of age. The vaccine is not given to people 7 years of age or older. Before vaccine became available, whooping cough killed 5,000 to 10,000 people each year in the United States.

Click here for a FAQ on Pertusis

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