Whooping cough: Pediatrician discusses signs, find out how to save you it
Up to date: 5:08 PM EDT Sep 27, 2024
WATCHING. WGAL NEWS EIGHT. WELL, WHOOPING COUGH IS ON THE RISE IN THE U.S., AND THE CDC SAYS PROTECTION FROM THE VACCINE IS WANING. SO FAR, THERE HAVE BEEN AROUND 14,000 CASES REPORTED NATIONWIDE. THIS YEAR. AND HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA, THE STATE RECORDED OVER 2000 CASES OF THE INFECTION THIS YEAR. THAT IS TEN TIMES THE NUMBER SEEN AT THIS POINT LAST YEAR. AND THE HIGHEST IN ANY SINGLE STATE OR TERRITORY NATIONALLY, ACCORDING TO THE CDC. I’M JOINED NOW BY DOCTOR BANKU, JARETH, A PEDIATRICIAN AT PENN STATE HEALTH CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. IT’S A PLEASURE BEING HERE. THANK YOU. SO GIVE US AN IDEA. FIRST, WE’LL START WITH THE GENERAL QUESTION. WHAT IS WHOOPING COUGH? SO WHOOPING COUGH, ALSO CALLED AS PERTUSSIS, WAS ALSO CALLED A 100 DAY COUGH IS CAUSED BY A BACTERIA CALLED AS BORDETELLA PERTUSSIS. IT IS A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS RESPIRATORY ILLNESS THAT CAN INITIALLY LOOK VERY MUCH SIMILAR TO COMMON COLD. THE FIRST TWO WEEKS ARE JUST COMMON COLD, WITH COUGH CONGESTION, SOME RUNNY NOSE AND NO FEVERS OR MILD FEVER, AND IT CAN BE VERY EASILY CONFUSED WITH JUST FLU OR COMMON COLD. IT IS THE SECOND PHASE WHICH IS THE PAROXYSMAL PHASE THAT IS THE GATEWAY FOR WHOOPING COUGH, WHERE PATIENTS THEN START PRESENTING WITH WORSENING OF THE COUGH, FOLLOWED BY COUGHING FITS AND COUGH. THAT IS ENDING WITH A WHOOP WHICH IS A VERY HIGH PITCHED NOISE THAT YOU HEAR AT THE AT INHALATION WHEN THE PATIENT IS TRYING TO BREATHE DEEPLY IN AFTER A COUGHING FIT. SO YES. AND IT IS IT IS NOT A COMMON COLD COUGH. IT CAN HAVE A VERY SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN INFANTS AND PEOPLE OR ELDERLY WITH SOME CHRONIC ISSUES, HEALTH ISSUES AS WELL. SO I MENTIONED IN THE INTRO TO THIS THAT WE’VE SEEN INCREASES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WE’VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA. SO WHAT ARE WE SEEING? WHAT ARE YOU SEEING HERE AT PENN STATE HEALTH? WHAT ARE WE SEEING HERE IN THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY? SURE. SO FORTUNATELY WE HAVE NOT IN ESPECIALLY IN OUR CLINIC, WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY CASES OF THE WHOOPING COUGH YET. BUT THERE HAVE BEEN A LARGE INCREASE IN CASES IN OTHER COUNTIES AND DEFINITELY IN PENNSYLVANIA, WE ARE LEADING THE NATION WITH OVER 2000 CASES OF WHOOPING COUGH THIS YEAR. SO WHAT CAN PARENTS DO TO TRY TO PREVENT IT? IS THERE ANY WAY TO DO THAT. YEAH, VACCINE IS THE BEST ANSWER TO THAT. GETTING, YOU KNOW, YOUR KIDS VACCINATED. IF YOU’RE A GRANDPARENT TAKING CARE OF, YOU KNOW YOUR GRANDKIDS GETTING YOURSELF VACCINATED WITH BOOSTERS IS IS THE BEST ANSWER. AND ALSO TAKING PRECAUTIONS. THE REASON WHY WE WERE NOT SEEING THOSE MANY CASES DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC WAS BECAUSE WE WERE VERY RIGOROUSLY FOLLOWING MEASURES TO PREVENT, YOU KNOW, SPREAD OF RESPIRATORY, VIRAL INFECTIONS, PRIMARILY COVID, WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING, HAND HYGIENE AND ALL THAT STUFF. AND I THINK THAT IS WHAT WAS KEEPING THE OTHER BACTERIA AND RESPIRATORY VIRUSES AT BAY. AS WELL. AND YOU MENTIONED THERE RIGHT AWAY ABOUT THE VACCINE, A GREAT WAY TO HELP PREVENT IT, HOPEFULLY. WHEN SHOULD PEOPLE GET VACCINATED FOR WHOOPING COUGH. SO FOR BABIES, THE VACCINATION SERIES STARTS AT SIX WEEKS. SO FROM SIX WEEKS TO 4 TO 6 YEARS OF AGE, THEY NEED TO GET FIVE DOSES OF THE TDAP VACCINE. AND THEN AT 11, YOU GET YOUR FIRST BOOSTER WITH THE TDAP AND THEN EVERY TEN YEARS YOU GET BOOSTER WITH THE TDAP FOR PREGNANT LADIES AS WELL. WE DO RECOMMEND GETTING THEM VACCINATED ANYWHERE IN THEIR THIRD TRIMESTER BETWEEN 27 TO 36 WEEKS. THAT ALSO PROVIDES SOME PASSIVE IMMUNITY TO THE BABY, WHO CANNOT BE VACCINATED UNTIL THEY ARE SIX WEEKS OF AGE. ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR BONK, JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE AL
Whooping cough: Pediatrician discusses signs, find out how to save you it
Up to date: 5:08 PM EDT Sep 27, 2024
Instances of a extremely contagious respiration illness are on the upward push within the U.S. and Pennsylvania.Pennsylvania has extra whooping cough instances than another state, in line with the Facilities for Illness Keep an eye on and Prevention.Information 8 spoke to a pediatrician about why instances are expanding, signs of the sickness and what precautions can also be taken to keep away from it. Watch the interview within the video participant above.
Instances of a extremely contagious respiration illness are on the upward push within the U.S. and Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has extra whooping cough instances than another state, in line with the Facilities for Illness Keep an eye on and Prevention.Information 8 spoke to a pediatrician about why instances are expanding, signs of the sickness and what precautions can also be taken to keep away from it. Watch the interview within the video participant above.
