What is Pertussis, or Whooping Cough?

Recently an ominous commercial aired warning about the risks of infants contracting pertussis from adults who have not been vaccinated against the disease. This commercial is part of a campaign to increase pertussis vaccinations for people who are old enough to be vaccinated for the disease, especially those who come into contact with infants who are too young for the vaccination. Pertussis is the medical name for whooping cough, and there have been a rising number of reported cases of the disease. Six California babies under the age of three months have died from whooping cough and there are nearly 1,500 cases of pertussis currently reported. South Carolina also has enough reported cases of whooping cough to put the state within the "epidemic threshold" status according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While outbreaks of pertussis typically occur every 3 to 5 years, it is believed that the recent rise in the number of outbreaks could be linked to the public's resistance to vaccinations.

What is Whooping Cough, or Pertussis?
Whooping cough is the result of a bacterium, Bordetella Pertussis. The highly contagious bacteria are found in the throat, nose, and mouth of the infected person and can be spread when the infected person sneezes or coughs. A person who comes in contact with a surface contaminated by the Bordetella Pertussis bacterium can also contract the disease. Once a person has contracted pertussis, symptoms can take up to 21 days to start showing symptoms. Symptoms of whooping cough mimic those of a cold initially: a slight fever, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. The coughing begins to worsen within 2 weeks and results in coughing spells with a characteristic "whooping" sound. Coughing can be so violent that the patient appears to turn red or blue; they may vomit, and are exhausted after the coughing has subsided. The coughing can cause broken blood vessels around the patient's eyes or on the face. Symptoms will vary among patients, as will the severity of the coughing spells. Between coughing fits, the infected person may not show signs of a serious illness, but remember that whooping cough is a serious disease and anyone suspected of having such an illness should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Whooping Cough Epidemic Hits California, Daniel J. DeNoon, Medicinenet.com
Webmd.com