Understanding Pertussis: The Whooping Cough Disease

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Significance of Pertussis Pertussis is an important communicable disease in which we must be aware of, it is exceedingly contagious. The main sign that one portrays when this disease is present is uncontained aggressive coughing, which can lead to difficulty in breathing to some individuals. Whooping cough is also another name for pertussis mainly because a whooping sound is heard when the patient tries to breath. Pertussis, is an upper respiratory infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Common cold like symptoms occur about a week after exposure to the bacteria. The whoop noise is rare in patients under 6 months of age. A major concern with pertussis is when a patient has coughing spells leading to vomiting or a short loss …show more content…

The method of transmission is airborne, by way of an infected person sneezing or coughing. The droplets from the sneeze or cough contains the Bordetella pertussis bacteria moving through the air within the atmosphere making it easy to transmit to an uninfected person. The disease typically lasts 6 weeks, but can last as long as 10 weeks. It is important to understand pertussis so that if anything remotely relating to the symptoms of pertussis occur such as: common cold, severe coughing, whoop noise, runny nose, slight fever and or diarrhea the patient understanding will lead him or her to contact their health provider. In older children, the prognosis is usually very good, infants are the highest at risk (Kaneshiro & Zieve, …show more content…

Treatement provided are antibiotic such to diminish the disease from getting worst. If too late the aantibiotic will not be effective, but it can reduce the patient or individual ability to spread the disease to others. Babies most vulnerable are at high risk, pregnant women should take the vaccine to prevent premature babies and other possible complication. Teen, adults and elders are also recommended to take the pertussis vaccine. No person infected should return to daycare, school or work until they have completed the antibiotic treatment. Because pertussis is an airborne respiratory disease , it is considered to be a droplet precaution , where surgical mask is required when entering a patient with the disease if close contact is

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