Whooping Cough – Vaccines are a huge part of our life. These vaccines are known to save our lives, and we have been using them for years for different diseases.
In recent weeks, Americans might have lost their trust in vaccines due to COVID vaccine, but they are still very important to prevent a huge number of diseases for life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States releases immunization schedules for everyone in the country, and it contains a huge number of vaccines for different diseases.
A huge number of Americans do not allow their kids to get vaccinated according to the schedule. As a result, those kids miss out on some important vaccines. Vaccine for Whooping cough is one of those important ones.
If you are also here to learn more about whooping cough and vaccines, then you are at the right place, as we are going to discuss everything regarding that. It will also help you create a wise decision about whether you should get yourself vaccinated with the same or not.
What is Whooping Cough?
Whooping Cough is a severe respiratory infection that is known to cause continuous coughing. The disease might begin like a common cold, but it will become more severe each day, and the condition can last for weeks to months.
Previously, it was known as a childhood disease. Due to recent advancements in medical science, the whooping cuff has been affecting children too young to complete their full course of vaccinations and teenagers to adults whose community has already faded away.
Whooping cough is a rare disease in the United States, and we do not record more than 200,000 cases of the disease each year. Deaths are also very rare in the United States, but we record a small number of deaths due to the disease.
Symptoms of Whooping Cough
To understand any disease in the world, you should understand its symptoms, diagnosis, and causes. The combination of these things can help you easily diagnose yourself and even prevent the disease in the first place.
Similar to any other disease in the world, Whooping Cough is also known to have some signs and symptoms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also mention on its official website that there is an incubation period for Whooping cough as well.
The incubation period of any disease or virus is the time when the person will be exposed to the virus or disease, But won’t have any symptoms at all.
Whooping Cough is known to have an incubation period of around 7 to 10 days.
Once a person has already crossed its incubation period, they will start developing symptoms associated with the condition.
- Runny nose
- Red eyes
- Fever
- Chills
- Nasal congestion
These are the common symptoms of Whooping Cough. Usually, people get better during this time, and people who are not able to get better within a week of the symptoms will get worse, and thick mucus inside your Airways will start causing uncontrollable coughing.
- Provoke vomiting
- Extreme fatigue
- High pitched noise
- Difficulty while breathing
- redness on face
These are among the most severe symptoms of the condition. You should never ignore any of the above even conditions and Consult with your healthcare provider as early as possible.
Major Causes of Whooping Cough
Whooping Cough Is a rare disease in the United States, and we do not record more than 200,000 cases of the condition each year.
Despite its numbers, Whooping Cough is a severe disease, and it can spread at a rapid speed from person to person. If anyone in your family has been diagnosed with the same, then you should take good care of the patient along with yourself.
Whooping cough is caused by a specific bacteria named bordetella pertussis. Similar to COVID-19, Whooping Cough can also spread through the air and other non-living objects.
Whooping Cough Vaccine to Prevent the Disease
Healthcare experts in the United States, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest Americans get themselves vaccinated with dtap vaccine to prevent whooping cough And other diseases.
Immunization and vaccine schedule of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommend the five-shot Dtap vaccine for everyone above the age of 2 months.
The general time frame of the whooping cough vaccine is going to fall between the second month to 6th year after the birth.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend parents get their kids vaccinated with dtap vaccine according to the schedule. You can also consult with your healthcare provider and get your customized time frame as well.
When Should You Consult with a Healthcare Provider?
Before you do anything else, let’s take a quick look at when you should be consulting Whooping Cough with your healthcare provider.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone consult with their doctor if their child starts developing symptoms such as vomiting, blue or red skin, whooping sound while inhaling, and trouble breathing.
The CDC recommends everyone consult with their doctor as early as possible. Whooping Cough can also be the cause of death, and you should never ignore its infection.
Diagnosis of Whooping Cough
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest everyone know to diagnose themselves or their kids for whooping cough.
As you can see, most symptoms associated with Whooping Cough are also associated with a general Cold. Apart from that, general flu, bronchitis, and other conditions are also known to have similar symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest everyone consult with their doctor rather than self-diagnosis. Your doctor might use different techniques to diagnose whooping cough.
First of all, there is a high probability that your healthcare expert will use a simple swab test to test any bacteria in your mucus.
Apart from that, blood tests are also a very popular choice when it comes to the diagnosis of whooping cough. Your healthcare expert will take your blood sample to determine the level of a white blood cell. A higher white blood cell count is usually a sign that the body is fighting off an infection.
Lastly, your healthcare expert might also suggest you go for a chest X-ray that can show your healthcare provider whether you have any inflammation or fluid in your lungs.
Treatment and Home Remedies for Whooping Cough
Once you have been diagnosed with Whooping Cough, now it is time for you to learn about all the treatments and home remedies available for the condition.
Your healthcare expert is going to start the treatment once you have successfully crossed the incubation period of the condition. Your healthcare expert can not start the treatment before it starts developing any symptoms associated with the condition.
People who have recently been exposed to the virus might have to wait some days to develop any symptoms.
Antibiotics
First of all, your healthcare expert suggests you go with antibiotics as they can help you cut down the cuffing and intensity of other symptoms. Usually, healthcare experts suggest the use of antibiotics during the first week of the infection.
Apart from that, antibiotics can also help you prevent the spread of infection to others. There is a high probability that antibiotics might not work on you, as most people get diagnosed a little late when the antibiotics are not going to work.
At the same time, the CDC also suggests everyone not use any over-the-counter cough medicine for Whooping Cough, as they are not going to work on whooping cough. You will be wasting your hard-earned money.
Home Remedies
Along with antibiotics for your health, an expert might also suggest you go for some home remedies as they are also known to be one of the most effective treatments for whooping cough.
- First of all, you should focus on hydration, as regular coughing can also increase the chances of dehydration.
- Kindly get as much rest as possible for the inner strength of your body to fight the illness.
- Try to eat in small portions, as eating less can help you prevent any symptoms associated with vomiting.
- Lastly, you should also try to get as much fresh air as possible. Kindly do not smoke.
These are some of the most popular recommendations. For more information on the treatment, we highly recommend you consult your healthcare provider right away.
How long will the infection of Whooping Cough last?
Healthcare experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe that symptoms of whooping cough can last around 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the overall medical condition of the patient. Usually, people get better within the first four ways of the infection.