Whooping cough is a disease caused by a certain type of bacteria that can be transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person. A sore throat during coughing produces sputum containing pertussis viruses. This phlegm, invisible to itself, can be inhaled by a person standing nearby, who will see for himself whether whooping cough is infected or not. Bacteria inhibit new receptors, causing coughing attacks, in especially severe cases, turning into vomiting spasms.
Pertussis bacteria
Whooping cough is an infectious disease involving the respiratory system and part of the central nervous system. Its characteristic feature is a cough with slight convulsions. The pertussis bacterium has its own name - Borde-Zhangu, or just a pertussis wand.
The Borde-Zhangu stick is of three types. The first one is more aggressive, the other two softer. But the age and health of the patient can both improve and complicate these factors.
Bacteria transmission routes
A sick person can infect anyone who is two and a half meters away from him. The disease is transmitted through the air, affecting those who are closest. Such a bacterium almost instantly dies under the sun's rays, therefore it is not able to survive on household items.
Any person can become ill, starting from the moment of his birth. But the bulk of the patients are young children. Peak epidemics occur between November and March. Parents, trying to protect their child from viruses, restrict his movement, giving priority to home, kindergarten or school. Thus, they provoke a decrease in children's immunity and cause a greater susceptibility to diseases that are transmitted from peers. But, having had pertussis at least once, the child’s body receives antibodies that in every way prevent the situation from repeating.
A special group of patients are newborns. As a rule, such babies have not yet grown up to the age of vaccination, which puts their life at risk in case of infection with whooping cough (60% of deaths). Therefore, parents should be in control of any suspicious changes in the state of health of the baby. When there is evidence of an infection in the child’s body or in his own body, you need to contact a specialized hospital, which will determine the disease within half an hour.
Danger of whooping cough
Doctors unequivocally answer the question of whooping cough is infected or not. Yes, contagious. It can be determined by the presence of coughing attacks, which first increases, then subsides. It is called the first symptom of whooping cough. It is especially dangerous due to the narrow respiratory throat of the child. Severe cramping, reducing the already narrow gap between the walls, can cause suffocation and, consequently, death.
Disease prevention
Guaranteed disease prevention can be vaccination. Vaccination is carried out from the age of three months of any child, the drug includes toxins designed to prevent tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. But if the child is weak and previously showed an overly acute reaction to the vaccine, then it is done without those substances that provide protection against whooping cough. Therefore, infection can occur in any case.
The vaccine gives almost 100 percent immunity to only 85% vaccinated. Others still remain at risk, but the vaccine gives confidence in an easier course of the disease. Therefore, the parents of the vaccinated child may not worry about whooping cough is infected or not. The vaccine is valid for 12 years, so it must be repeated periodically.
How does the disease manifest itself?
The onset of the disease is not much different from a common cold. The patient is tormented by a cough, sending spasms along the mucous membranes of the throat. In this way, the Borde-Zhangu wand acts, whose toxins gradually reach the brain. They impede the patient’s attempts to clear his throat, limiting his ability to surface function.
Immediately after the cough comes a breath resembling a dull whistle. This whistle occurs as a result of the narrowing of the larynx poisoned by whooping cough, and when air passes through it, a whistle resembles. Therefore, the cough of the patient becomes similar to the cry of a rooster.
The attack ends with coughing up wet particles or vomiting. At such moments, any sick child can scare their parents: the face is bright red, the veins on the neck are swollen, blood vessels have burst in the eyes, giving them a red tint, the tears are pouring without ceasing, and the tongue with the bent tip will stick out.
Often the tongue rubs its lower surface against the teeth, rubbing the mucous membrane until ulcers appear. Even if there is any doubt, these sores, together with the specific cry of a rooster, put an end to the diagnosis of whooping cough.
Favorable conditions for infection
They are as follows:
- The proximity of a sick person for a long time (more than 60 minutes). The danger increases when healthy people have not taken care of special dressings and other protective equipment.
- A healthy person talks to a patient, forgetting to move away (distance less than 1 meter).
- Direct contact with the patient's discharge: saliva, sputum and so on.
The infectious period of whooping cough lasts about a month. If the doctor managed to pick up a strong antibiotic, then the patient can be approached on the fifth day.
For young children, relatives and parents are particularly at risk. They, without realizing it, are able to be carriers of whooping cough. Therefore, harmless kisses, hugs or simply coughing next to babies can cause a weakened body to get sick. In this case, parents urgently need to see a doctor who will explain all the subtleties of the disease, its treatment and answer the question about the time of how much whooping cough is infected.
Disease development
The incubation period lasts about 21 days, so the fact of infection itself may be ignored. Because of this, the number of days that a patient with whooping cough is infected cannot be specified specifically.
Usually, at the end of the incubation period, the first symptoms begin to appear. At first, whooping cough develops as a very standard cold, just a little protracted. Initial symptoms:
- A sore throat.
- Low temperature.
- General weakness.
- Rare cough.
On the 15th day, all available symptoms almost disappear, prompting the patient to false thoughts that he is recovering. The only disturbing sign is a dry cough, which compresses the patient's throat with cramps. It indicates the presence of whooping cough sticks, so much time that infects everyone around. Its characteristic features:
- Appears only at night. Daytime attacks are very rare.
- Lack of fleeting cough. If the patient begins to cough, then the attack lasts about 2 minutes. A peculiar cough can appear up to several times in one hour.
- When the cough passes, the patient feels great.
At such moments, the pertussis wand damages miniature bronchioles. The toxins that it produces kill the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, causing their necrosis. During the next attack, the dying tissue transmits impulses to the area of the brain. That, in turn, forms a constant focus of excitement, causing more attacks.
With the right treatment, after a couple of weeks, the patient will begin to recover. For some time, the cough will make itself felt. But it no longer contains those bacteria that can infect a healthy body. The reason for its periodic appearance is that the cough causes the action of toxins, and not the stick itself. In order to completely cleanse the body of them, it will take time. But this period will not be included in the number of days how many whooping cough is infected.
The possibility of infection on the street
Despite the general opinion, the baby should never be kept at home, even if there are winter frosts on the street. His immunity should be formed in all weather conditions. Timely vaccinations and formed personal hygiene skills in a child are excellent prevention of a dangerous disease.
Any specialist will positively answer the question of whooping cough is infected or not. But this point requires additional refinement. Pertussis bacilli without favorable living conditions die very quickly in the sun. Therefore, in order to pick up at least the minimum necessary number of bacteria, you need to stand almost close to the patient, and for quite a long time.
If there is not enough ventilation in the environment and there is practically no sunlight, the bacterium can extend its lifespan. Therefore, in such conditions, she will find a new owner. But this is not a reason to avoid all enclosed public spaces. Observing precautions and regularly observed by a specialist can reduce the likelihood of infection.
Re-infection
Such cases are an exception to the rule, but sometimes they do occur. Sick children are treated under the supervision of specialists who make their immunity develop special antibodies that successfully destroy the whooping cough bacillus. Therefore, most re-ill children cough for a completely different reason, not caused by the infamous bacterium. And if at this moment there are other children next to them, then the latter are in relative safety.
For several years, the immune system ceases to respond to this bacterium, so vaccinations must be done regularly. Without them, the body tolerates all the symptoms associated with the disease harder. Vaccination also affects how long pertussis is contagious.
If the infection does occur, you should immediately consult a doctor. Age is not a hindrance to the wand. About 12% of patients are adolescents and older adults.
Adult Pertussis
Is pertussis contagious for adults? Yes, infection of an adult is quite possible. If a person’s immunity is very weak, then the likelihood of his becoming infected with pertussis bacteria increases. The vaccines used to vaccinate adults are active for a rather short time - about 6 years. Therefore, it is recommended to vaccinate not only children, but also adults.