Pertusis: Whooping Cough

in-depth report

Is a highly contagious bacterial disease that cases uncontrollable violent coughing. The cough can make it hard to breathe.A deep whooping sound is often given by the patient when trying to breathe.

a patient with pertusis

   It is an upper respiratory infection caused by the Bordetella Pertusis or Bordetella Parapertusis bacteria.It is a serious disease that can cause permanent disability in infant and death. When
  an infected person sneezes or coughs tiny droplets containing bacteria more through the air, the disease  is easily spread from persons to person. The infection usually last 6weeks.
  It can affect people of any age .Before vaccines were widely available, the disease was most common in infant and young children. Now that most children are immunized before entering school,the high percentage of cases is seeen among adolescent / adult.
The bacterium which causes whooping cough can be killed by antibiotics.However, a course of antibiotics is still usually given if the disease is diagnosed in the first few weeks of the illness.