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Article by: Dr Zoe Arugay Photo: Getty Images |
Reported cases have quadrupled since the same time period as last year according to Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health. Five infants - all under 3 months of age - have died, including two in Los Angeles County and one in San Bernardino County.
At present, the Los Angeles County has reported 148 suspected pertussis cases, said county health officer Jonathan Fielding.
Pertussis is a respiratory bacterial infection characterized with paroxysmal cough, at times with the distinct "whoop" at the end of a coughing spasm. Whooping cough will manifest initially with runny nose, nasal congestion and sneezing - symptoms that may be mistakenly dismissed as mild. This is called the catarrhal phase and is the phase where it is most infectious. Patients with pertussis may remain communicable even 3 weeks after the onset of cough.
The second phase is called paroxysmal when paroxysms of intense coughing lasting up to several minutes. It is in this phase where older infants and toddlers may have that "whoop."
The third phase is the convalescent phase when patients have chronic cough which may last for weeks.
When diagnosed early, pertussis can be effectively treated with antibiotics. A delay in treatment can lead to long-term illness. We're talking some 3 to 4 months. And so hospitalization - and possible ICU admission - is recommended for ill infants.
Children 7 years and younger should receive the pertussis vaccine. In the United States, acellular pertussis vaccine is recommended and usually is combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DTaP). Adults and adolescents have been identified as the source of pertussis in infants. In this instance, anyone in contact with their infant should have their pertussis inoculations up-to-date because immunity may begin to wane after some 5 years.
