Pertussis - Infants

Pertussis is more commonly known as whooping cough, and many people in the United States are protected due to the vaccine. Pertussis is very similar to the common cold as far as its initial symptoms which include everything from a runny nose, diarrhea and a slight fever to vomiting and loss of consciousness. It is important to be aware of when vomiting occurs from coughing because it may cause choking. 

The most at-risk age group is infants and young children who have not been administered the vaccine. The best way to avoid young children from contracting pertussis is to make sure that all who can have the vaccine have been administered it. By protecting yourself you are in turn protecting others from getting the disease. It is very hard for care providers to distinguish pertussis from pneumonia in young infants. If a young infant is diagnosed with pertussis it is important that they are constantly watched for their breathing patterns. It is very important to keep fluid levels up when anyone has pertussis. There are long term side effects from contracting pertussis which are located on this site that goes into depth about pertussis complications.

There are several ways that doctors treat pertussis. In many cases pertussis is discovered too late making the antibiotics that doctors would use to treat this disease. For many young children sedatives are prescribed and young infants are hospitalized and given fluids through veins. There are several items that aid the fight against the common cold that should not be used for whooping cough, such items include cough medicine, cough suppressants, and cough expectorants. While older children have a better outlook than younger children. If you suppect your child to have whooping cough it is important to seek medical attention immediately. This site has all that parents that need to better understand pertussis in infants. This site Kid's Health includes everything from symptoms to what whooping cough sounds like in infants.