Livingston, NJ— Many Americans think of whooping cough as a disease that has been all but eradicated through immunizations. Contrary to this belief, whooping cough, also called pertussis, is making a comeback. The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show a dramatic increase; in 2002, there were 9,771 infections; 2003, that number jumped to 11,647, the highest number of cases recorded in 30 years. Whooping cough diagnoses have nearly tripled in the last 20 years, despite the fact that more babies and young children are getting the pertussis vaccine.
While the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services is reporting only 29 cases to date in the state, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated in November of this year that communities nationwide are experiencing the worst whooping cough outbreaks in 40 years.
“It is very important that infants are given the pertussis vaccine on time," says Deborah Friedman, M.D., Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. “In the future it may also be possible for adolescents to receive a booster shot for whooping cough that extends their immunity.”
Two groups are especially at risk:
- A
study last December in the Journal of the American Medical Association
found the greatest increases were seen in children less than
4 months of age, especially those who didn't receive whooping
cough vaccines on schedule.
- Whooping cough can also be a problem
for teenagers. Few parents realize that the protection from the
pertussis immunization wears off after five to 10 years, with
the last dose administered at age six.
Whooping Cough: A to Z
Whooping cough is a serious, contagious disease, which often requires hospitalization. It is caused by a bacterium and most often attacks the upper respiratory tract after entering the nose or throat. Whooping cough can lead to pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and sometimes death. “Persons of any age can get pertussis, however, young infants are at greatest danger of getting the disease and suffer the most serious complications, “says Dr. Friedman.
Whooping cough can be transmitted by direct contact or through the air. It is highly infectious and can infect up to 70-100 percent of close household contacts who are unimmunized, reports the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services.
Symptoms of Whooping Cough
Whooping cough often acts like a common cold for a week or two. Then the cough gets worse, and the child may start to have the characteristic “whoops.” During this phase (which can last two weeks or more), the child is short of breath and can look bluish around the mouth. Infants with pertussis become exhausted and develop complications, such as susceptibility to other infections. Pertussis can be fatal in infants, but the usual course is for recovery to begin after two to four more weeks. The cough may not disappear for months and may return with subsequent respiratory infections.
When to Call Your Pediatrician
You should consider the possibility of whooping cough if the
following conditions are present.
- The child is a young infant
who has not been fully immunized and/or has had exposure to
someone with a chronic cough or the disease.
- The child’s
cough becomes severe and frequent, or her lips and fingertips
become dark or blue.
- She becomes exhausted after coughing episodes,
eats poorly, vomits after coughing and/or looks “sick.”
Treatment
The CDC recommends that physicians test for whooping cough if patients exhibit symptoms compatible with the disease or develop an acute cough after exposure to someone who has been diagnosed. If caught early enough, antibiotics may help alleviate symptoms or limit the spread of the disease.
To reach a Saint Barnabas pediatrician, please call 1-888-SBMC-DOC. Saint Barnabas Medical Center treats more children than any other hospital in New Jersey.
Date: December 17, 2004
[ top ] |
|
|
