A devastating disease that affects the lungs, and the ability to breathe without difficulty, is poised for a terrible outbreak this spring. Whooping cough causes those afflicted with it to cough uncontrollably, often in a violent fashion. Not only does it make simply breathing hard, the wracking coughs can cause physical damage in the throat or lungs that worse the patient’s outcome.
Infants are particularly susceptible, and they’re at especially great risk since they’re less likely to survive contracting whooping cough. Worse, the disease will often present as a simple common cold. Only when the cough progresses into the characteristic spasms in the chest as the child whoops while trying to cough and breathe does it often get properly diagnosed. At that point, the infant is in serious medical trouble.
Whooping cough is quite contagious, and can pass from person to person very easily. Parents or caregivers can carry it to and from the office, it can circulate through medical offices via staff that neglect isolation and sterile procedures, and leave children suffering.
The best defense against the disease is to get vaccinated against contracting it. The vaccines can cut off any chance of infection. While some infants are too young to tolerate the vaccination, parents and adults who can should definitely get their shots to reduce the risk of passing whooping cough to the little ones in their lives.
If you’re a parent, make sure your vaccines are updated to avoid giving your kids whooping cough. #HealthStatus
Key Points:
- 1Pertusis is coming back and is very deadly and spreads easily.
- 2Babies, infants, and children are the ones most at risk.
- 3Those who didn’t vaccinate are amongst the reasons why this disease keeps coming back.
See the original at: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/whooping-cough-epidemic-in-spring
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