Pertussis is a bacterial upper respiratory infection commonly referred to as whooping cough. Although the illness generally produces cold like symptoms in adults the effects of the infection can be much more severe in children. Children start receiving a series of pertussis vaccinations at two months old but are completely unprotected against whooping cough prior to the first dose. Even though adults do not become severely ill from pertussis it is important that they receive booster shots. An adult who contracts whooping cough can pass it on extremely easily to a young child.
Symptoms of Pertussis
Adult symptoms of pertussis start with a runny nose and a low grade fever. A little over a week later a cough will develop that can last for weeks. In children the cough associated with pertussis is violent and will cause the baby to make a whooping sound when they inhale.
Complications of Whooping Cough
An infant who develops whooping cough may have a hard time breathing and begin to choke. The baby may cough so hard it causes her to vomit. Babies and children who are diagnosed with pertussis are at a high risk of developing pneumonia. They can also cough so hard they end up breaking their ribs. Additional negative complication of pertussis in a baby include seizures, brain bleeds, and brain damage and mental retardation due to lack of oxygen to the brain.
Frequency of Pertussis
The number of patients diagnosed with whooping cost has increased since the early 1980's. The majority of those diagnosed with the illness were under six months old. Not all babies who develop whooping cough die, but fatalities do occur.
Vaccinating Against Whooping Cough
The easiest way to prevent the spread of whooping cough is to make sure that both children and adults are up to date on vaccinations. The typical pertussis vaccination schedule for children is one vaccination at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months, and 4-6 years. Children receive a vaccination called DTaP which combines vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Older children receive a booster shot called Tdap that contains the same vaccines at age 12. It is now recommended that adults receive another booster at the age of 22 and every ten years after that.
Children who contract whooping cough are most likely to catch the infection from an adult. An adult with pertussis coughs or sneezes, spreading germs into the air which the baby breathes in. Adults with small children or those working with young children should make sure they are up to date with their pertussis boosters. What may manifest as a simple common cold in an adult could be potentially deadly for a small child if the illness is pertussis.
References
AdultVaccination.org: Whooping Cough
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Pertussis
