Pertussis symptoms

Whooping cough (pertussis) is often overlooked when kids are coughing, both because many parents think that this vaccine-preventable infection is no longer a problem for kids. Even when they do, they simply look for classic whooping cough symptoms, such as coughing spells or fits that end in a "whoop" sound. In addition to lower vaccination rates in some groups of kids because of parental worry over vaccine safety and the use of alternative immunization schedules, the protection from the pertussis vaccine decreases over time. That makes many teens and adults susceptible to pertussis unless they have received a newer version of the tetanus booster that includes the pertussis vaccine (Tdap: Pertussis symptoms usually start just like regular cold symptoms about six to 21 days after being exposed to someone else with pertussis, often an adult with a chronic cough. These initial pertussis symptoms typically last a week or two and might include a low-grade fever, runny nose, congestion, sneezing, and a cough. • The diagnosis of pertussis is sometimes overlooked, as a child's cough is blamed on more common infections, such as RSV or • A bacterial culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test can help to diagnose pertussis, although many children are first diagnosed just based on the symptoms they have. • Early treatment with antibiotics can helpmake your child less contagious to others but has not been shown to make much of a difference in the amount or duration of symptoms. • ...

What is whooping cough (pertussis)? Whooping cough, or pertussis, is very contagious and mainly affects infants and young children. Whooping coughis caused by a bacterium called B ordetella pertussis. The illness is characterized by coughing spells that end with a characteristic "whoop" as air is inhaled. Whooping cough caused thousands of deaths in the 1930s and 1940s. With the advent of a vaccine, the death rate has declined dramatically. Pertussis vaccines are very effective. However,if pertussis is circulating in the community, there is a possibility that even a fully vaccinated person could catch the disease. Babies who are too young to receive the vaccine are also at very high risk of catching pertussis. The illness can be very serious, even sometimes fatal, in young infants. Many babies infected with pertussis have caught it from an adult. What are the symptoms of whooping cough? The disease starts like the common cold, with a runny nose or congestion, sneezing, and sometimes a mild cough or fever. Usually, after a week ortwo, severe coughing begins. The following are the most common symptoms of whooping cough. However, each person may experience symptoms differently. Infantsyounger than age6 months may not have a classic whooping cough, or it may be difficult to hear. Instead of coughing, infants may have a pause in their breathing, called apnea, which is very serious. You should consult yourhealth care provideror call 911 if you observe pauses in breathing.Symptom...