More cases of highly infectious whooping cough reported this year

THERE has been a rise in the number of reported cases in South Africa of whooping cough, which is a highly infectious disease.

Families are cautioned to take measures to protect their young children from potentially becoming infected.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a vaccine-preventable disease that often presents with cold-like symptoms.

It occurs in people of all ages but can be particularly serious for infants, as they have under-developed immune systems and are at high risk of developing severe complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis.

As many as a half of all infants under the age of one year who contract whooping cough require hospitalisation.

Unfortunately some babies with the infection do not develop the distinctive cough, so it is not always obvious that they have contracted pertussis, and in some cases the first sign of the condition is when the child stops breathing.

Whooping cough, which is a notifiable disease in South Africa, is an infection of the breathing passages with the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.

It is usually spread through contact with respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes.

Parents, grandparents, siblings and other caregivers are often not aware that they have contracted the infection and may pass it on to the infants in their care without being aware that they have done so.

The NICD states that there have been 90 confirmed cases of whooping cough in South Africa so far this year, 43% of which occurred in children three months and younger.

It observes that episodic increases in the prevalence of the disease do tend to occur every three to five years, so this is not cause for alarm.

This does, however, call for increased vigilance, and we always advise caregivers to be ever mindful of this infection, and to take every precaution to protect the infants in their care from it.

This can be done by ensuring that your children are inoculated against whooping cough as per the requirements of the Expanded Programme on Immunization [EPI] in South Africa, which stipulates infants should receive a total of four pertussis vaccine doses at three, five, seven and 18 months.

In addition, pregnant women between 26 and 36 weeks gestation should get a dose of the quadrivalent vaccine with each pregnancy.

In addition to pertussis, the vaccine also provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria and polio.

This assists in providing newborn babies with the best possible passive immunity against whooping cough, which is most common during winter months.

Early symptoms may be similar to a common cold, including a runny nose, dry cough and slight fever.

Symptoms may worsen and include long bouts of coughing that can in turn cause an individual to vomit.

Symptoms generally worsen at night and the coughing can last up to ten weeks.

Early treatment with antibiotics can assist in reducing the infectious period and reduce the severity of the infection.

Parents should seek urgent medical attention for their child should they show symptoms, including severe bouts of coughing, difficulty in breathing and/or turning blue during a bout of coughing, or if the child persistently vomits after coughing.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter

For news straight to your phone invite us:

WhatsApp – 072 069 4169

Instagram – zululand_observer