Whooping cough is a very serious disease caused by highly contagious bacteria transmitting from person to person. This usually occurs during the whooping cough symptom of sneezing or coughing, when droplets of saliva enter the air to be inhaled by others.
While there is a whooping cough vaccine, many people continue to be infected, and children under 4 months of age are most affected by this disease. Whooping cough and adult incidences are most prevalent in those over 60 year of age.
Whooping cough and pregnancy concerns by women are unfounded, as the antibiotics used are safe for baby, and because there is no way to pass on the disease to an unborn baby. Parents can prevent the disease by giving their child the whooping cough vaccine, part of the DTaP vaccine given as young as 2 months of age.
Failure to give the whooping cough vaccine could end in serious consequences for young children, though it is not indicated for preventing whooping cough and pregnancy.
There is development of a booster that will aid whooping cough and adult contraction, and possibly prevent future outbreaks of whooping cough and pregnancy. This booster shot could also prevent the passing of the disease from adults, who may not know they are contagious, to children who can be greatly affected by even a single whooping cough symptom.
When evaluating whooping cough and adult symptoms, it is important to remember that by the time the tell-tale “whoop” in the cough appears, the most contagious stage has already passed. Keeping vaccinated and knowing each whooping cough symptom and its characteristics is the best way to evaluate if you may be infected.
See your doctor and he or she will
probably prescribe antibiotics immediately to prevent spread
of whooping cough.
