Ayunan , Maomina S.2 BSN – 2K

MWF / 7:40 – 8:40am / D405January 23, 2009

Bio. 223 (Pharmacology)Group 01

Dra. Elvira DonadoTeacher:

better known as whooping cough. It is an acute respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis bacterium.

It is a highly contagious disease that most commonly affects young children, however older teens and adults are susceptible to pertussis and many do catch it because their immunity from vaccination as a child has worn off.

Though pertussis poses serious health risks, it can be treated if diagnosed in early stages and closely monitored throughout.

It has an incubation period ranging from seven to as many as thirty days.

The disease has three stages of development. The fist stage, which is known as the catarrhal stage, develops in the first one to two weeks and is marked by symptoms common to other upper respiratory infections.

Runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever, and mild cough are all early stage symptoms. Typically, because the symptoms mimic the common cold, diagnosis doesn’t come until the second stage.

During the second stage of pertussis, the lingering cough becomes gradually worse.

It’s common for sufferers to experience bursts of coughing spasms triggered by the body’s failed attempts to dispel the mucus build up in the respiratory track.

After coughing, inhalation is marked by a tell-tale whistling or whooping sound. Breathing can be difficult and even labored during this stage.

The final, or convalescent stage, is the recovery stage and may take an additional three to ten weeks.

Coughing spasms become less frequent and breathing becomes easier, however lingering affects of pertussis can still cause some discomfort and fatigue.

It is best if treatment is administered before this final stage.

Can pertussis be treated?

Pertussis can be treated with antibiotics, but treatment may not cure the symptoms. However, antibiotics will reduce the spread of disease to others.

Antibiotics lessen the symptoms if given during the early stages of illness. When antibiotics are started later in the illness, the damage from pertussis is already done and the cough will last until the lungs heal. Pertussis bacteria die off naturally after three weeks of coughing. If antibiotics are not started within that time, they are no longer recommended.

How can pertussis be prevented?

•Avoid close contact with others who are coughing or otherwise ill •Wash their hands often •Stay at home if ill •Cover their cough with a tissue or cough into their sleeve •Seek medical attention if they develop pertussis-like symptoms or have been exposed to someone with pertussis

Some Video about what is Pertussis.= Michael Marcus, MD (explaining the whooping

chough )= Clinical examples of Pertussis.

= pertussis education (explaining how can Pertussis transferred to another person )

Some Images about Pertusis.= Bordetella Pertussis

= A baby with Pertussis = A child with Pertussis

(explaining the whooping chough )

= pertussis education =

(explaining how Pertussis

transferred to another person )

Bordetella Pertussis

A baby with Pertussis

A child with a Pertussis