Managing whooping cough in adults

Whooping cough in adults may create symptoms like in children. At the first stage, the disease develops cold-like signs such as runny nose, low-grade fever, sore throat, watery eyes, and mild cough. Although it severity may be milder than in infants or kids, the interval of the second stage of the disease last just as long as in kids. Not all adults with pertussis creates whooping noise, according to medicine.com, it’s only 20-40 percent of adults with pertussis that show the whoop sound.

Bordetella pertussis bacteria as the main reason of getting whooping cough can infect adults who didn’t get the vaccine in the past. Those who get the vaccine in their childhood may also infected by the disease since the immunity from pertussis vaccine decrease over the time. This is why adults that have infants or babies around them, they are strongly suggested to get the vaccine shoots. Infected adults are very contagious and have great risk to spread the disease to children around them.

Early symptoms of whooping cough in infants

The early symptoms of whooping cough are usually similar to a common cold. Most of parents will not notice the present of the disease at this time. This early signs will stay for about one to three weeks, along this period, infants or babies who get whooping cough may experience mild signs such as low-grade fever, runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, watery eyes, and mild cough.

According to the CDC website, experts classify the disease progression into three main stages. The first stage also known as catarrhal stage, this first stage may last 1 to 3 weeks. The second stage, also known as paroxysmal stage, commonly lasts from 1-6 weeks and may extend to 10 weeks. And the last stage, convalescent stage may last for about 2 -3 weeks. To know more detail about whooping cough base on its stage, please follow this link.

Whooping cough sound and its characteristics

Whooping cough sound is unique. The disease can be identified clearly by hearing the sound of the cough and monitoring other symptoms. Combining with other lab tests result, a health practitioner can determine the presence of the disease.

Whooping cough or also known as pertussis is a highly contagious disease that affect to human respiratory tract. It can affect to any body but infants and children are commonly more prone to this health problem. The disease can be identified by the presence of rapid and violence cough followed by a high-pitched “whooping sound” when the sufferer intakes their breath.

All you need to know about whooping cough vaccine

Experts believe that whooping cough vaccine is the best protection against whooping cough or pertussis onset. Most of the vaccines are available to prevent other diseases including tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, to reduce the total injections that someone receives. In the United States, there are three vaccines dedicated to prevent pertussis: DTaP, Tdap, and Td vaccines. The first vaccine, DTap, is given to children including babies that younger than 7 years of ages, and the last two, Tdap, and Td, are given to children older than 7 years of age including adults.

Whooping cough considered as a highly contagious infection that affect to the upper respiratory tract. It caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria, and spread through saliva droplets when infected people coughs or sneezes. Those people who didn’t receive vaccination have a great risk of getting this health problem.

Whooping cough symptoms and stages

The whooping cough symptoms will depend on its stages. In early stage that also known as catarrhal stage, those who get the disease will experience signs and symptoms similar to common cold or upper respiratory infection such as low-grade fever, mild and occasional cough, runny nose and sneeze. Commonly these cold-like symptoms will last for one to two weeks.

When someone enter this catarrhal stage, they already infected by Bordetella pertussis, the bacteria that cause whooping cough or pertussis. The disease is highly contagious and spread from the infected person to other susceptible person through saliva droplets when infected people sneezing or coughing, this is why those with the disease need to contains or isolates to prevent the germ spreading.

Whooping cough treatment and prevention

Whooping cough treatment will focus on two things, first how to control and eliminate the bacterium that causes the disease, and second how to alleviate the symptoms. Those who get the disease should also contained from free interaction with those who susceptible especially children under 3 years or people with immune system problem. Before we talk further about the treatment, let’s talk about the cough first.

According to mayoclinic.com, whooping cough or also known as pertussis is a highly contagious and serious respiratory tract infection that’s caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. These bacteria can infect healthy person through patient sneeze or cough. When a patient sneeze or cough, tiny droplets containing the germ are sprayed into the air. If this germ breathed by those who susceptible such as kids or babies, they could be infected by the germ.