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Pertussis is a bacterial infection of the respiratory system that produces a persistent, chronic cough, according to the National Institutes of Health. Also known as whooping cough, it’s most prominent in children and especially dangerous for infants.
The pertussis vaccine was first developed in the 1930’s. Before the invention of the vaccine, whooping cough was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of death. In 2000, the University of California (UCLA) established a link between children who received the pertussis vaccination and increased risk for developing allergies. Thanks to the vaccine, until now there were fewer cases than ever.
The Austin Regional Clinic, one of the largest multispecialty healthcare groups in central Texas, issued a press release in February 2010 indicating an Austin and Travis County pertussis outbreak that has gone on to break records. And the hardest hit, reports, Mary Ann Roser of the American-Statesman, young children from two weeks to four months old.
The worst case of pertussis since the 1960’s occurred in 2005 when the Travis County Department of Health reported just over 500 cases. Since the outbreak began in November 2009 over 1,000 children were tested for the contagious disease and no less than half of that number tested positive for whooping cough. More concerning, according to UCLA research, “The odds of having a history of asthma was twice as great among vaccinated subjects than among unvaccinated subjects.”
The first symptoms of whooping cough, reports KidsHealth.org, are a runny nose, sneezing, mild cough and low-grade fever. “After about 1 to 2 weeks, the dry, irritating cough evolves into chronic spells.” Coughing can last for several minutes and effect breathing. A telltale whooping sound will follow the coughing spell.
It’s important that infants get vaccinated for pertussis starting at two months of age, followed by four additional doses in subsequent months. "Children who are too young to have been fully vaccinated and children who have not yet completed the vaccination series are at highest risk for more severe illness," says Kate Cronan, MD, medical editor at KidsHealth.org. And if your child has been affected by pertussis, this year or even in years past, be sure to have him checked for asthma and other allergies.
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