Whooping Cough is also called pertussis, which is a Latin word meaning "intensive cough."  It is called whooping cough because when people have it, they could have coughing spasms of up to fifteen coughs without being able to breathe in between.  Because of this, they start gasping for air, creating a high-pitched "whoop" sound.  Half of all the cases occur in children under the age of two, so if you're looking at this page it might mean you think your child has whooping cough.  Our page will hopefully be able to help you to further understand and be able to recognize whooping cough.  Don't be too worried though, there's only a 1% or 2% death rate today with all the new technologies available.

Once an organism is ingested with the whooping cough bacteria, Bordetella pertussis, there is an incubation period of about one week.  After this week it progresses through three stages; the catarrhal, paroxysmal, and convalescent.  The catarrhal stage is an inflammation of mucous membranes, it lasts about two weeks.  The paroxysmal stage is sudden attacks or intensification of the disease for about four weeks.  The convalescent stage is a stage of recuperation that can last anywhere from a few  weeks to a few months.
 
 

SYMPTOMS, COMPLICATIONS, CAUSES, PREVENTION, TREATMENT,

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Catarrhal:

Paroxysmal:

Convalescent:

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Whooping cough could lead to:

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Whooping cough is caused by a colonization of the air passages by the bacterium, Bordetella pertussis.  Risks of getting whooping cough increase where there is malnutrition.
 
 

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The DPT immunization (vaccine) or pertussis immunization (vaccine) starting in infancy protects children against whooping cough.  These immunizations usually start at the age of three months.  The vaccines are made from killed whole-cell pertussis bacteria.  A booster dose of pertussis vaccine should also be given at eighteen months of age.  Later vaccinations are thought to be unnecessary because the disease is much less severe when it occurs in older children, especially if they were vaccinated in infancy.  It is also thought to be unnecessary because reactions to the vaccine may be troublesome in older children.  During epidemics, people who are at risk may be advised to recive a booster dose of one of the vaccines.  Also during epidemics, unimmunizized children under the age of seven should be excused from school and public gatherings for fourteen days after the last reported exposure.
 
 

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If a person has been exposed to whooping cough, the administration of gamma globulin soon after exposure can create a temporary immunity.  Gamma globulin will also reduce the severity of an already contracted infection.  Gamma globulin is a fraction of the blood serum that contains most of the antibodies.  Antibiotics may have little effect on the bacterial disease but may shorten the duration of the symptoms and help combat secondary infections.

Frequent light feeding helps fix nutrtional offsets from vomiting.  The administration of sedatives  can induce rest and sleep.  Sometimes, the use of a suction apparatus removes mucus and eases breathing.  Cough mixtures or expectorants and cough suppressants are usually not helpful and shouldn't be used.  Infants under eighteen months of age require constant supervisison because breathing may stop during coughing spells.  Infants with severe cases may be hospitalized and an oxygen tent with high humidity may be used.  Intravenous fluid may be indicated if coughing spells are severe enough to prevent drinking.
 
 

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Infections are transmitted by direct contact, usually by means of droplets sprayed into the air during coughing spasms.  Half of all of the cases occur before two years of age.  Whooping cough is worldwide in distribution and occurs periodically in epidemics.  It is a highly communicable respiratory disease that is among the most acute infections of children.
 
 

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1578 - Whooping cough first adequately described.

1678 - The name pertussis was first introduced in England.

EARLY 1900s - Whooping cough named one of the most common childhood diseases.

1906 - At the Pasteur Institute, French bacteriologisis, Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou, isolated the bacteria that causes whooping cough. It was first called Bordet-Gengou bacilli. Later, it was changed to Hemophilus pertussis. Still later, its name was changed to Bordetella pertussis.

1923 - Whooping cough had the highest number of deaths (9,269).

1934 - Whooping cough peaked with 265,300 cases and 7,518 deaths.

LATE 1940s - A vaccine was found that reduced the number of cases 99% in 25 years.

1991 - 2,700 cases of whooping cough recorded.

1996 - Several new acellular pertussis vaccines were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for booster shots in older children and were being tested in infants.

1996 - Laws were passed in 42 states that school children must be immunized against pertussis. Laws were also passed in 48 states that children entering day care must be immunized.

1997 - An epidemic arose in the Netherlands and spread across Europe. There were 2,785 cases recorded by October.

Jules Bordet - A Belgian bacteriologist who won a Nobel Prize for his work. He discovered the bacillus that causes whooping cough and developed a vaccine.
 
 

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A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PEOPLE AT http:// www.bact.wisc.edu/Bact330/lecturebpertussis.com FOR THE USE OF THEIR PICTURE.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beatrice Van Rosen, Whooping Cough.  Colliers Encyclopedia. CD-ROM.

"Bordet, Jules Jean Baptiste Vincent." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia.  CD-ROM
© 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

Infection

"Whooping Cough." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia.  CD-ROM.
© 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

Whooping Cough (or pertussis).  The Hutchinson Dictionary of Science.  © Jan 1, 1998

Whooping Cough (1)

Whooping Cough (2)

                                    By: Mohammad, Chris, Catherine, and Rosan at Palos South School!!!!