Let's talk infectious diseases, the reason for vaccines: ᵂʰᵒᵒᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᶜᵒᵘᵍʰ ⁽ᴾᵉʳᵗᵘˢˢⁱˢ⁾

Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It is a HIGHLY contagious respiratory tract infection. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-laden droplets are sprayed into the air and breathed into the lungs of anyone who happens to be nearby. In many people, it's marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like "whoop."

The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. In babies, the cough can be minimal or not even there. Babies may have a symptom known as “apnea.” Apnea is a pause in breathing pattern. Pertussis is most dangerous for babies. About half of babies younger than 1 year who get the disease need care in the hospital.

Early symptoms can last for 1-2 weeks and usually include:

▪️Runny nose

▪️Low-grade fever

▪️Mild, occasional cough

▪️Apnea (in babies)

Pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold. Therefore, healthcare professionals often do not suspect or diagnose it until the more severe symptoms appear.

After 1-2 weeks and as the disease progresses, the traditional symptoms of pertussis may appear and include:

▪️Paroxysms (fits) of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched “whoop” sound

▪️Vomiting during or after coughing fits

▪️Exhaustion after coughing fits

Healthcare providers generally treat pertussis with antibiotics and early treatment is very important. Treatment may make your infection less serious if you start it early, before coughing fits begin.

Who is at risk for whooping cough? It turns out EVERYONE is! The whooping cough vaccine you receive as a child eventually wears off. This leaves most teenagers and adults susceptible to the infection during an outbreak — and there continue to be regular outbreaks. Infants who are younger than age 12 months who are unvaccinated or haven't received the full set of recommended vaccines have the highest risk for severe complications and death.

In 1578 there was an epidemic of pertussis in Paris. Guillaume De Baillou referred to it as “quinte,” which was a common name for the disease that was circulating. De Baillou suggested the name might have to do with the sound of the characteristic “whoop” cough.

Pertussis remained unnamed and unexplored until 1900. Scientists Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou observed the causative agent of pertussis, Bordetella pertussis. In 1906 they succeeded in isolating the bacteria for further study. In 1912 the same scientists attempted a vaccine from killed whole-cell B. pertussis preparations but it was not effective.

In 1925 Thorvald Madsen, a Danish physician, tested his pertussis vaccine in children in the Faroe Islands. The vaccine seemed to provide protection against disease. But in 1933 Madsen released a report that he believed two of the children had died as a result of potential reactions to the vaccine.

Finally, in 1939 it was girl power for the win! American bacteriologist Pearl Kendrick, PhD, and her colleague Grace Elderding, PhD demonstrated the effectiveness of a vaccine when compared with a control group that did not receive the vaccine: the annual attack rates per 100 children were 2.3 in the vaccinated group and 15.1 in the control group, respectively, with no deaths in either group. In addition, the disease was milder in the group that had been vaccinated.

In 1948 a combined vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis became available in the United States. This type of combined shot used a whole-cell pertussis vaccine; decades later, in the mid-1990s, the whole-cell vaccine would be replaced with an acellular version that resulted in fewer adverse reactions.

Immunity from the vaccine tends to wane by age 11 so a booster shot is needed as is for pregnant women between 27 and 36 weeks for every single pregnancy. Some varieties of the every-10-year tetanus and diphtheria vaccine also include protection against whooping cough. This vaccine will also reduce the risk of you transmitting whooping cough to infants.

{You can find all the sources I used by clicking here.}