If you’ve listened to the news lately, you’ve heard about whooping cough. Everyone, from babies to grandmas, has gotten it–no one is immune. Whooping cough–one of those diseases that seems like it should’ve been eradicated long ago–is back. And it’s scary. Breezy Mama turned to Pediatrician Dr. Jon Conti for the low-down on this infectious disease.
What exactly is Whooping Cough?
‘Whooping Cough’ is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable bacterial disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. It lasts for many weeks and typically manifests in children as raging spasms of severe coughing, or ‘whooping’, and vomiting after the coughing episode has completed.
Why are we suddenly hearing about so many cases in the news?
For many people, pertussis (commonly known as Whooping Cough) is old news—a once-feared disease long controlled by vaccination. The perception that pertussis is something we don’t have to worry about obscures the fact that, despite effective vaccines and generally high coverage, pertussis remains a stubborn public health threat, more prevalent and severe than [Read more…] about Whooping Cough: Why You Need to be Concerned