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Whooping cough |
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| What is Whooping Cough ? |
| Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial illness that affects the respiratory passages. First described in the 1640s, whooping cough is so named because spasms of coughing are punctuated by a characteristic whoop when the person inhales. |
| Causes of Whooping Cough |
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Whooping cough is spread by contact with droplets coughed out by someone with the disease or by contact with recently contaminated hard surfaces upon which the droplets landed.
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The disease, however, tends to be milder in adults—often just a persistent cough that is much like an upper respiratory infection or cold. Because of this fine distinction, the diagnosis of whooping cough is frequently missed in adults and thus allows the bacteria to spread to more susceptible infants and children.
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Even among fully immunized and naturally immunized people living in the same household, there have been reports of undetectable infection following extreme exposure.
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| Symptoms of Whooping Cough |
The course of whooping cough is divided into 3 stages.
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The first stage is the catarrhal stage.
Symptoms during this phase resemble that of an upper respiratory illness: runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, and occasional cough. A low-grade fever may be seen in some cases as well.
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The second stage of the illness is the paroxysmal stage. The duration of this stage is highly variable, lasting between 1-6 weeks, up to 10 weeks. It is characterized by intense and drawn out bouts of coughing. The attacks tend to be more frequent at night, with an average of 15 attacks in a 24-hour period.
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The third stage of the illness is the convalescent stage. This can last for weeks or months and is characterized by a chronic cough that becomes less paroxysmal (fewer sudden outbursts of coughing) in nature.
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