Due to the years of medical research, many of the ‘old time’ illness, such as the following showed rarity. Medical communities all agreed that there was no longer any need to vaccine children and adults due no incidents of these diseases reported for many years.
Now in recent years these ‘old time’ illnesses are starting to rear their ugly head because vaccinations stopped. Now the CDC is starting to urge you and your children to be vaccinated once again. A DPT vaccination is a combination of Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus.
Those vaccinated need a revaccination against this with a TDap booster. Whooping Cough is a serious disease and can cause death. Every age group should get a vaccination to protect them against this illness. It is hard to diagnose Whooping Cough because the symptoms are that of a common cold.
- Whooping Cough
- Chicken Pox
- Scarlet Fever
- Polio
Whooping Cough, Pertussis, or the 100-Day Cough
Whooping Cough is a difficult and challenging illness for any child or adult. This disease takes on a more difficult elimination, and the signs and symptoms become worse in seniors and infants.
If you, as an adult, or a baby is exposed to Pertussis it takes from five to ten days and sometimes up to three weeks to develop symptoms.
If you received a vaccination and then exposed to Whooping Cough, your cough would not last as long. If a baby contracts Pertussis and they are less than one year of age, hospitalization is usually required. Symptoms of this illness include,
- A whooping type cough
- Constant coughing fits
- Instances of vomiting after coughing fits
- Symptoms mimicking a cold such as, mild cough and low-grade fever
- Periods of apnea in babies
Early on in the process of this illness symptoms can last for one to a few weeks and may include,
- A mild and occasional cough
- Low-grade fever
- Episodes of apnea in a baby
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Common cold or bronchitis
If you have a baby with Whooping Cough, the chances of them coughing may not be apparent. Instead, a child displays apnea and cyanosis (bluish tinge to the skin) from lack of oxygen.
As this illness progresses, symptoms become more intense after one to two weeks. These symptoms can include,
- You have frequent, rapid coughing. Coughing fits come so frequently and violently it takes all the air from your lungs. To breathe you must try to take in a deep breath causing a whooping sound.
- Vomiting, sometimes
- Extreme fatigue
There is no quick recovery from Pertussis. Coughing fits last for weeks, usually up to and exceeding 10-weeks.
Vaccinations for Whooping Cough lessen the duration and intensity of a cough and time ill.
Recovery
Recovery is slow and agonizing. A cough starts to decrease and is milder. Symptoms can return over the course of many months, whenever you develop another respiratory infection.
Vaccination against Diphtheria,Tetanus, and Pertussis is essential to good health and lessens the symptoms should you get any of these illnesses.
This vaccination is essential to good health and lessens the symptoms should you get any of these illnesses.Vaccinations are highly safe, but you may experience some mild reactions such as in the following.
- Mild pain and redness at injection site
- Mild fever
- Slight headache
- Mild fatigue
When you consider full-blown Pertussis and the weeks and months of difficult recovery, these few possible reactions are minimal and you will be glad you protected yourself and children from Whooping Cough.
Pertussis is on the rise and proves a very contagious respiratory infection. Vaccination of adults and children every ten years is essential for a healthy life.