Pertussis, or Whooping Cough: Know the Facts

Pertussis, or the whooping cough is a nasty infection that is hard to control and hard to rid the body of, especially for children. Even though now, the whopping cough vaccine is widely given to children, they are still susceptible and able to contract this infection. Symptoms can last six-ten weeks, and sometimes longer. In young children, there are usually three stages of symptoms that occur. Older children and adults don't usually experience all three of the stages.

The symptoms in stage one, are similar to those of a cold, and can last about two weeks. Those symptoms include a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, watery eyes and a mild fever. During this stage, the person with whopping cough is most contagious and can easily spread the infection to others through sneezing.

The second stage, which is the most serious, lasts about two-four weeks longer, after stage one. Symptoms of the common cold fade, and the cough gets progressively worse. The cough is often uncontrollable with dry hacking and violent fits. Sometimes these outbursts of coughing can make it difficult to breathe and in turn make the stomach and lungs ache and burn. These outbursts can happen more than 20-30 times daily. Coughing attacks can bring up thick mucus, cause vomiting, result in a red or blue face, and cause extreme fatigue. The end of the cough usually ends with a high-pitched €whoop€ sound during the next breath of air, thus giving the infection the infamous €whopping cough€ title.

Little things such as sucking, eating or drinking, or stretching can trigger coughing spells in young infants. These coughing fits cause the infant to have flushed cheeks, pale or bluish complexion, due to a lack of oxygen, and watery eyes. Watching your infant struggle through these coughing attacks if often very scary, but babies are often able to recover from this. In children younger than four months, it may lead to hospitalization, especially if your child is blue and unable to stop coughing, which may affect their oxygen intake and breathing. It is important to closely monitor your infant during this stage.

The final stage, which could last a few weeks to a few months, is the recovery period of Pertussis. Through this stage, children start to gradually feel better and regain their strength. The cough may become loud and sound worse at this time, however this is just the body's way of clearing out what is left of the infection. The coughing outbursts become less frequent. During this stage, it is important to watch out for cold symptoms to reappear. If those symptoms occur again, it might be a sign of an upper respiratory infection. In this case, it is important to seek medical attention for this infection. Throughout all of the three stages of Whopping Cough, other complications can arise such pneumonia, or injuries related to coughing, such as a hernia or strained backing, chest or stomach. These health issues post the most risk for infants under four months old, and also adults older than 60 years of age. If these complications arise, it is best to seek medical attention, to ensure you get the best treatment for yourself.