Pertussis
A. What Pathogen Causes Pertussis?Pertussis is a respiratory infection caused by a bacteria (bordetella parapertussis). Bordetella pertussis has an incubation period of 7 – 10 days, then the signs and symptoms of whooping cough emerge.
Pertussis is most common in infants, however an older children and an adult can contract the bacteria. (See the image below) B. How is Pertussis Transmitted?Pertussis or whooping cought is a very contagious disease, it is contracted after a person with pertussis coughs or sneezes and a person breathes the contaminated air. If a person (not vaccinated) is in the same room with an infected person, is easier to contract it.
Most infants and children are contaminated by older siblings who don't know they have the disease. After a person is contaminated with it, is less possible to contract it again in the future. C. SymptomsThe common cold is an initial symptom, it occurs about a week the bacteria is contracted. After 10 or 12 days of being contracted severe episodes of coughing start. In infants the cough may be minimal, infants most common symptom is ''apnea''. Apnea is when the infant stops to breath.Pertussis can cause violent coughs over and over again. This extreme coughing can cause you to throw up and feel tired.
Other common symptoms are:
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Reference LinksD. Treatment
There's not an specific treatment, if the patient is diagnoticated on time the use of antibiotics is helpful otherwise antibiotics just helps to don't spread the bacteria.
Ibuprofen or acetaminophen: is useful to decrease pain and lower a fever. Infants with asthma need to be monitored, in addition people have to drink lots of liquids (to prevent from becoming dehydrated), eat healthy food, rest as much as possible, use an humidifier. e. rISKS if UntreatedComplications in infants and young children can cause serious complications. Only half infants younger than 18 months are hospitalized, the statistic below shows the complications of infants hospitalized:
Teens and adults can also get complications but less serious In one study, less than 5% of teens and adults with pertussis were hospitalized. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 2% of those patients. The most common complications in another study of adults with pertussis were:
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