What is whooping cough?

It is quite simply, a bacterial infection, that can be quite dangerous for very young babies.

The official name for the bacteria is Bordetella pertussis.

It should be noted that the reason the copugh hangs around for quite a while is that the toxins released b y the bacterium remain in the body for quite a while afterwards.

Whooping cough is particularly nasty, in as much as the cough can actually cause massive difficulty for a child or baby to breath, and is spread in a very similar fashion as that of a cold.

It is best to contact your general practitioner about possible medication to reduce any further infection, but total prevention is only normally available by the use of a vaccination.

Whooping cough or pertussis is a contagious disease caused by the germ Bordotello pertussis. Some of its main characteristics are severe coughing and long deep breaths right after each cough. The disease is transmitted through the airborne discharges coming from the whooping cough. If the disease remains untreated after a long period of time, several complications may arise and it could even be fatal to those that have weak immune systems. Make sure to keep a safe distance from afflicted individuals unless you have been vaccinated recently.

There are several forms of treatment for the whooping cough. Doctors advice afflicted patients to take antibiotics that have erythromycin, azithromycin or clarithromycin as the active ingredient. These active ingredients don’t necessarily cure whooping cough but they make the symptoms milder as the afflicted individual goes through each stage of the disease. If the antibiotics fail to contain the effects of each symptom, then doctors advice patients to take trimetophrim – sulfamethoxazole as medication. If the antibiotics are taken during the early stages of the whooping cough, then there is a good chance that complications will not develop. Once you notice that you possess some of the characteristics of the disease, it is wise to immediately consult your doctor.

Vaccines for whooping cough have been developed to protect individuals from the highly contagious disease. Whooping cough vaccines are very potent and could protect individuals from being infected with the disease. The overall effect of the vaccines lasts for only a few years though that’s why there is quite a number of adult cases. Whooping cough is fatal to infants and young children since they have weaker immune systems as compared to adolescents and adults. Vaccines are advised to be given to children at the age of two. Adults and adolescents should also get their own dose of vaccines to keep themselves protected.