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Information is collected about each case and this is entered onto a confidential database to enable health departments to track how whooping cough is moving through the community.
As many cases never see a doctor or are never tested for whooping cough, health departments only see the tip of the iceberg! So there are many more cases in the community than are officially captured in the cases reported.
What we do know is that whooping cough is always around in the community and we know that it's often under-recognised in adults and in older children. Highly-skilled public health workers track how whooping cough infection is spreading through the population and can pick out significant changes, for example if there is a large increase in numbers of cases, or if new age groups are being infected more frequently or if the infection is taking hold somewhere in the State. For recent case numbers see the Pertussis notifications data page.
The bacteria are spread from one person to another when someone with the infection coughs and fine droplets that contain the bacteria spread into the surrounding air. The bacteria are breathed in by others who are nearby. If that person's immune system doesn't recognise the whooping cough bacteria, it can't start to fight the infection. Once the whooping cough bacteria are breathed in, they stick to cells in the nose and throat and the bacteria start to reproduce rapidly.
As the bacteria reproduce, they produce toxins that paralyse cells in the windpipe and lungs that clear the airways of mucus and debris. Another bacterial toxin paralyses some of the body's immune cells and prevents them from attacking the bacteria. Whooping cough bacteria can also multiply inside the lung tissue and cause pneumonia it can also lead to other pneumonias with different bacteria and viruses.
This also stops oxygen in the air from getting into the blood. With time, the body's immune system develops antibodies which are specialised immune proteins that recognise that whooping cough bacteria are foreign. The antibodies stick to the bacteria and help the body's immune cells to respond to fight the infection. Initially, there are so many live bacteria in the throat that each cough can spread bacteria to others.
We often see people blaming pertussis outbreaks on people coming to the United States from other countries. This is not the case. Plus, every country vaccinates against pertussis. In general, pertussis starts off with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. But after 1 to 2 weeks, severe coughing can begin. Unlike the common cold, pertussis can become a series of coughing fits that continues for weeks. The best way to know if you have pertussis is to see your doctor.
Your doctor can make a diagnosis and prescribe antibiotics if needed. Teens and adults, especially those who did not get pertussis vaccines, may have a prolonged lengthy cough that keeps them up at night. And the cough may last for weeks or months. It can also cause major disruptions to daily life and complications like broken ribs and ruptured blood vessels. Babies may not cough at all. Instead, they may have life-threatening pauses in breathing apnea or struggle to breathe. Any time someone is struggling to breathe, it is important to get them to a doctor right away.
A: Pertussis spreads easily from person to person through coughing and sneezing. A person with pertussis can infect up to 12 to 15 other people. Older siblings, parents, or caregivers who might not know they have the disease infect many babies who get pertussis. But if you received pertussis vaccines, your infection is usually less serious.
If you or your child develops a cold that includes a very bad cough or a cough that lasts a long time, it may be pertussis.
The best way to know is to contact your doctor. Whooping cough can be deadly for babies. Learn how to protect them through vaccination. See this infographic.
A: Babies are at greatest risk for getting pertussis and then having serious complications from it, including death. About half of babies younger than 1 year old who get pertussis need care in the hospital, and 1 out of babies who get treatment in the hospital die. First, vaccinate pregnant women with Tdap between 27 and 36 weeks of each pregnancy , preferably during the earlier part of this time period.
Second, make sure everyone around the baby is up to date with their pertussis vaccines. This includes parents, siblings, grandparents including those 65 years and older , other family members, and babysitters, among others. Learn more about pertussis complications in babies. A: When enough of a population is immune to an infectious disease, through vaccination or prior illness, its spread from person to person is unlikely.
Even people not vaccinated such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses typically have protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within their community. Public health experts cannot rely on herd immunity to protect people from pertussis since:. Vaccines are the most effective tool doctors have to provide protection against pertussis. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.
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