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Whooping Cough



Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract. It is often difficult to diagnose whooping cough because the symptoms are extremely similar to those of the common cold and cough. It can cause serious complications if it is left untreated, but there is a vaccine that can prevent this disease in most cases.

Before a vaccination for this disease was introduced, whooping cough was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood deaths in the United States. There has been a significant reduction in the amount of deaths caused by whooping cough because of the widespread use of pertussis-only vaccines as well as combination vaccines for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
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Causes and Risk Factors


Whooping cough is caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. These bacteria affect the upper respiratory tract (mainly the trachea and bronchi). The infection spreads when the droplets of respiratory secretions are coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person.



The bacteria that cause whooping cough multiply rapidly when they enter the airways and the toxins that are produced by these bacteria lower the immunity of the respiratory tract and make the environment hospitable for harmful germs.

Additionally, a thick layer of mucus forms inside of the airways, which causes the infected individual to cough uncontrollably in order to breathe. Whooping cough typically affects very young children, especially those under the age of one year old, because they have probably not been vaccinated against this disease or have been given an insufficient dose of the vaccination. In some cases, teenagers also become afflicted with whooping cough because the effects of their vaccinations may fade away.

For this reason, pediatricians recommend that teenagers are given a booster shot that includes a pertussis vaccine. Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease and anyone who has not been immunized against this disease may contract it upon coming into contact with an infected individual.

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