Pertussis Significance

Significance of pertussis Pertussis is an important communicable disease in which we must be aware of, it is exceedingly contagious. The main sign that one portrays when this disease is present is uncontained aggressive coughing, which can lead to difficulty in breathing to some individuals. Whooping cough is also another name for pertussis mainly because a whooping sound is heard when the patient tries to breath. Pertussis, is an upper respiratory infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Common cold like symptoms occur about a week after exposure to Bordetella pertussis bacteria. The whoop noise is rare in patients under 6 months of age and in adults. A major concern with pertussis is when a patient has coughing spells leading
The mode of transmission is airborne, by way of an infected person sneezing or coughing. The droplets from the sneeze or cough contains the bordetella pertussis bacteria moving through the air within the environment making it easy to transmit to an uninfected person. The disease typically lasts 6 weeks, but can last as long as 10 weeks. It is important to understand pertussis so that if anything remotely relating to the symptoms of pertussis occur such as: common cold, severe coughing, whoop noise, runny nose, slight fever and or diarrhea the patient understanding will lead him or her to contact their health provider. In older children, the prognosis is usually very good, infants are the highest at risk (Kaneshiro & Zieve,
Pneumonia which is the lungs being filled with fluid or inflammation of the lungs air sacs will cause cough with pus, fever, chills or difficulty breathing. Permanent seizure disorder, nose bleeds, ear infections, brain damage from lack of oxygen, bleeding in the brain are a few other complication due to pertussis. The best method to prevent pertussis infection is to get the pertussis vaccine. In children it is usually given as a shot along with other vaccines. The most frequent type called DTaP, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, protecting not only against pertussis but diphtheria and tetanus as well (Spencer, Sockrider, & Moore,