What is whooping cough?(pertussis)<br /><br />Whooping cough or pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease infection caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis.. Whooping cough is one of the most common respiratory diseases worldwide. The pathogen produces toxic substances that damage the mucous membrane of the bronchi. Children and young people, as well as adults in particular, are therefore affected by whooping cough in Germany. Infants who are not adequately protected by vaccination are also at greater risk of contracting the disease.<br /><br />How is whooping cough transmitted?<br /><br />From person to person<br />The pathogens of whooping cough are transmitted from person to person via saliva droplets; when coughing, sneezing or talking, the bacteria can travel through these droplets from the throat cavity, and can be spread in the air up to a meter and inhaled. Almost every contact between infected people and people who are not fully vaccinated results in infection. The pathogens can also temporarily infect healthy people who have been vaccinated against the disease. Although the vaccinated person does not become ill himself, he can transmit the bacteria that cause the disease to others.<br />What are the symptoms of the disease?<br />Whooping cough usually goes through three stages:<br />1 The first stage; at first, mild cold symptoms appear for one to two weeks, represented by a runny nose, cough, feeling weak and sometimes fever only.<br />2 The second stage; then a persistent dry cough begins; hence the name of the disease. It occurs with a spasmodic coughing fit that ends with difficulty inhaling. These numerous coughing fits can be very difficult due to their severity and occur more often in many patients at night than during the day. The attacks at night usually result in the expulsion of thick phlegm and then vomiting. Patients suffer from loss of appetite and lack of sleep. Fever is rarely associated with the symptoms. In infants and newborns, whooping cough also leads to serious breathing problems that are often life-threatening. The disease usually passes after 4 to 6 weeks.<br />3 The third stage; during the convalescence period, which ranges from 6 to 01 weeks, the coughing fits gradually subside. But even after several months of recovery, cold air, physical stress or cigarette smoke can cause dry coughs again. In young people and adults, the cough often lasts for a long time, but without the typical coughing fits that are characteristic of whooping cough, making it difficult to detect whooping cough, which increases the risk of infection spreading through these patients who are not diagnosed with the disease.<br /><br />Health complications may appear in the early years; including:<br /><br />Pneumonia, otitis media and rarely seizures.<br /><br />Despite the rarity of these complications, damage to brain cells due to lack of oxygen is particularly feared, which can result from respiratory arrest during coughing fits, and permanent damage may remain in the form of paralysis, mental disorders, or visual or hearing impairment, especially in infants under 6 months of age.<br /><br />When does the disease appear and when is the patient contagious to others?<br />The first symptoms usually appear between 9 and 10 days, and sometimes also between 6 and 20 days, after the first symptoms of the disease appear. The patient is contagious until shortly after the first symptoms appear. The risk of infection is greatest in the first stage (cold stage) before the typical coughing fits appear, and lasts for about 3 weeks after the coughing fits appear. When whooping cough is treated with antibiotics, the infectious period after starting treatment is reduced to about five days. <br /><br />Who is most at risk of getting sick?<br /><br />Infants whooping cough can be fatal, so about two-thirds of those infected need to be hospitalized, as they only have specific immunity against whooping cough through maternal vaccination several weeks after birth. This passive protection protects babies for the first few weeks until they are vaccinated themselves.Since vaccination protection only lasts a few years, older children, adolescents and adults also get sick, but with less severe symptoms. They are therefore at risk of transmitting the infection to young children and infants, as well as to the elderly and those with chronic diseases.<br /><br />What should be done in case of illness?<br /><br />To protect others, the patient should be isolated and prevented from coming into contact with infants, young children or the elderly in particular.<br /><br />Infants under 6 months of age and people with severe illnesses are often treated in hospital to monitor their condition and take immediate action if a potentially life-threatening respiratory arrest is detected.<br />The infected person should not take any medication without consulting the attending physician, who will treat him with antibiotics if necessary, which if used since the outbreak of the disease may prevent or weaken the cough. If the attacks and coughing begin, antibiotics do not reduce the duration of the disease, but they shorten the period of possibility of transmitting the infection and limit its spread. <br />The infected person should drink a large amount of water to reduce dryness in the throat. Due to the feeling of suffocation and nausea that the patient experiences, it is preferable to eat meals in small quantities scattered throughout the day. <br />Children should maintain a sitting position with their heads tilted slightly forward when a coughing attack occurs. <br />To protect other people from contracting the disease, the regulations of the Infectious Diseases Protection Act apply for the purpose of protecting others from contracting the disease; children or adults with whooping cough or suspected of having it are temporarily not allowed to visit or work in community facilities such as schools or kindergartens. Infected persons must report the disease to the community facility. Persons with whooping cough are not allowed to return to community facilities until they have been treated with antibiotics for at least 5 days, or if the suspicion of infection can be ruled out by a swab test if the health condition allows, and in the absence of antibiotic treatment. This is not possible before 3 weeks from the first symptoms of cough. <br />The medical clinic should be informed of suspected whooping cough before seeing a doctor so that the medical team can take the necessary preventive measures to prevent the spread of the infection. <br /><br />How can the disease be prevented?<br />Vaccination<br />By vaccination for: (STIKO) A preventive vaccination is available to protect against whooping cough. The Permanent Vaccination Committee recommends<br /><br />Infants: The vaccination consists of three partial vaccines given between the second, fourth and eleventh months. It is recommended to vaccinate infants early because of the life-threatening risk of the disease. Partial vaccinations can be carried out simultaneously with early detection tests.<br /><br />Children and adolescents: They receive a renewal of vaccination between the ages of 5 and 6 and between the ages of 9 and 61.<br /><br />Adults: When adults receive their next vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria, their vaccination must be combined once with a vaccination against whooping cough; this also applies if vaccination against tetanus is necessary in the event of an infection.<br /><br />Women of childbearing age, parents, as well as siblings, grandfathers, grandmothers, nannies and anyone who has direct contact with infants, provided that they have not received any vaccination against whooping cough in the last ten years. The vaccination should be given, if possible, no later than 4 weeks before the baby is born, or to the mother before the start of pregnancy or shortly after the baby is born.<br /><br />People who are in close contact with infants, such as family members or babysitters, if they have not received a pertussis vaccination in the last 10 years. The vaccination should be given no later than 4 weeks before the baby is born, if possible, or to the mother during pregnancy or, if this is missed, shortly after the baby is born.Health workers and community centres are also vaccinated as long as they have not received any pertussis vaccination in the last 10 years.<br /><br />All groups are at risk of getting whooping cough again after recovering from it. Immunity after the disease and recovery is approximately 7 to 02 years, and with vaccination 5 to 7 years.<br /><br />After contact with people infected with the disease<br />Anyone who has not been vaccinated before should undergo preventive antibiotic treatment, so that the disease does not appear.<br />Anyone who has been vaccinated before should be aware that they can transmit the infection to others. Anyone who has been in direct contact with people at risk, such as infants and young children who have not been vaccinated, should also be treated with antibiotics. If there are many cases of whooping cough in the surrounding area, the health office may recommend full vaccination of children and adolescents with another vaccination if it has been more than 5 years since the last vaccination. This recommendation is linked to close contact with patients within the household or in community facilities. جامعة المستقبل الجامعة الاولى في العراق<br />قسم تقنيات المختبرات الطبية الاول في التصنيف الوطني العراقي