Nikki Summer, a nurse with the Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning for Medical Matters.
Whopping cough can be tough on children.
Sommer explained, “Pertussis. it is known as the whooping cough, or the cough for 100 days. Pertussis is a highly contagious infection caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It’s called whooping cough because people often have violent coughing fits, and then it’s followed by a sharp intake of breath, and sometimes it can sound like a high pitched whoop. That’s where it gets its name from. Before we even knew much about it, I guess every child got pertussis at some point in life. Today, it still pops up in outbreaks, especially when immunity wears off over time. So it’s not just the disease of the past. It is still around, okay, and it can spread and it hangs around for a minute.”
It’s a bacteria infection that’s spreads through the air.
Sommer said, “When someone coughs or sneezes, it is most contagious in the early days. It almost feels like you have a cold. But a lot of times it’s spread before people even realize what’s going on, that they’re sick, before they even get diagnosed with pertussis, because common cold and cough, the symptoms usually show up about a week from when you’re exposed. And it can even be longer.”
What happens once you’ve contracted whooping cough?
Sommer said, “The bacteria gets into the airways and it sticks into the lining of your throat and your lungs, it makes little toxins. They kind of like paralyze the tiny hairs in your airway that you have that actually helps to keep mucus moving. So it kind of gets stuck there. So they use they’re called cilia. But anyway, the little tiny cleaners, you can call them, they’re unable to work, so the mucus builds up and gets stuck, and then your body’s only defense is to cough. So the cough can be really strong. The cough can linger on for weeks and months hence, giving it the name the 100 day cough.”
There are three stages of pertussis.
Sommer said, “So the first stage, like I talked about, makes you feel like you’ve got a common cold. You have a runny nose, watery eyes, mild cough, maybe a little fever that could last a week or two. And this is when it’s most contagious. The second stage is when they say the real trouble starts. The mild cough turns into severe coughing fits, and you can cough so hard you can vomit afterwards. You can even turn red or blue, and gasp for air. Children make that classic whoop sound, but adults often don’t. They just kind of cough violently. I’ve seen it. It’s awful for both children and adults.”
It can be particularly serious for young children.
Sommer said, “For babies and young children, it can be deadly. Infants may not cough at all. Instead, they may suddenly stop breathing, turn blue, or struggle to get oxygen. It’s because their their lungs and their little airways are so tiny and fragile, so a lot of times it could be terrifying, and they usually require emergency care and even hospitalization. The hard truth is, most deaths from pertussis occur in infants under the age of one, especially if they’re too young and they haven’t had all their vaccines yet. Every year it says the US loses babies to pertussis. Their little bodies just can’t handle the disease. So it’s really important to treat cases early on to try and prevent the spread.”
Can whooping cough be treated?
Sommer said, “You can prescribe antibiotics. A common one is zithromycin, and that also helps with the spread of it too, because the infection can hang around for a little bit. So for most people, especially babies, there’s also supportive care, keeping them hydrated, monitoring breathing and like I said, sometimes infants and children need hospitalization if the cough is severe enough,”
Why are we still seeing whooping cough?
Sommer said, “Pertussis has been around for centuries. There was a Paris epidemic in 1578 and then the vaccine was created in 1940, so it’s not going away anytime soon. Immunity wears off over time, whether from natural infection or from a vaccine if you get it. So that’s why it’s still passed along amongst teenagers and adults. And a lot of times, parents that do choose to vaccinate their children, they will ask grandparents and such to make sure all family members are also vaccinated to prevent the spread of pertussis, because it is highly contagious.”
Protecting infants is really important.
Sommer said, “Pertussis just isn’t a cough. It can cause hospitalization, and it’s really detrimental to infants and small children. Coughing fits can cause vomiting, and it also can cause breathing to cease in an infant. If you have a cough that lasts more than two weeks, get it checked out, especially if you feel like you can’t catch your breath, and it comes on suddenly. Early diagnosis and antibiotics can make a big difference. At the end of the day, protecting infants is the number one priority.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/