Pertussis

My sister-in-law was recently diagnosed to have whooping cough. And it has been circulating in the family. We've been interacting most of the time and we're just passing around bacteria and germs.

The little boy has been coughing and it was real bad last Friday so we took him to the doctor yesterday as we suspect it might be pertussis. The doc said, he has viral infection and was prescribed of anti-biotics.

Here are some facts about whooping cough:

What is whooping cough?Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system—specifically, the area where the nasal passages meet the back of the throat (nasopharynx). The infection causes irritation in breathing passages, resulting in severe coughing spells. The illness can have three distinct stages and can last months.

What causes whooping cough?
Whooping cough is caused by infection with Bordetella pertussis or B. parapertussis bacteria. The infection easily spreads from person to person through respiratory secretions or mucus, which can be emitted during coughing or sneezing. The incubation period is about 7 to 14 days, meaning that symptoms start about 1 to 2 weeks after exposure to the bacteria.

What are the symptoms?Symptoms of whooping cough typically last 6 to 10 weeks (but may last longer) and can occur in three stages.

Stage 1: Coldlike symptoms—such as sneezing, runny nose, mild coughing, watery eyes, and sometimes a mild fever—last from several days to 2 weeks. An infected person is most contagious during this stage.
Stage 2: Coldlike symptoms fade, but the cough gets worse. It changes from a dry, hacking cough to bursts of uncontrollable, often violent coughing. During a coughing episode, it may be temporarily impossible to take a breath because of the intensity and repetition of coughs. When finally able to breathe, the person may take in a sudden gasp of air through airways narrowed by inflammation, and this sometimes causes a whooping noise. Vomiting and severe exhaustion often follow a coughing spell. But between coughing episodes, the infected person often appears normal. This is the most serious stage of whooping cough, usually lasting from 2 to 4 weeks or longer.
Stage 3: Although the person improves and gains strength, the cough may become louder and sound worse. Coughing spells may occur off and on for weeks to months and may flare up if a cold or other upper respiratory illness develops. This final stage may last longer in people who have never received the whooping cough vaccine.
Healthy adults who become infected with whooping cough often have a much milder form of the illness compared with children. But adults ages 60 and older are at increased risk of having severe symptoms and developing complications. The severity of symptoms is, in part, influenced by whether a person was immunized against whooping cough and how long ago the immunization was given. The protection against whooping cough provided by the vaccine wears off over time.

More here.

One of the reasons why I don't having pets around is because ofthe illness that we can get from animals especially those that are furry - it's not because I don't want to buy pet supplements.