Getting Rid of that “100-Day Cough”Pertussis is commonly known as whooping cough. It is an extremely infectious bacteria that can lead to a violent, nasty cough that just will not seem to go away. Luckily, the DTaP vaccine has…
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January 02, 2019
Family Health and Wellness Interviewer: What is pertussis, what can you do about and can adults get it? That's next on The Scope. Announcer: Access to our experts with in-depth information about the biggest health issues facing you today. The Specialists with Dr. Tom Miller is on The Scope. Interviewer: If you get a nasty cough that will not just go away it might be pertussis. The odds are slim but it could be. To find out more about pertussis in adults we're with Doctor Tom Miller here at University of Utah Health Care. Pertussis; tell me a little bit about it and then tell me how an adult can get it. Dr. Miller: Pertussis was commonly known as whooping cough and occurred most commonly in children prior to the development of an effective vaccine, and it was deadly. A lot of kids died of whooping cough in the old days. Interviewer: Another one of these things that the vaccines have made a huge difference, and we forget about it, right? Dr. Miller: We forget about it and actually what's happened is that kids all in the United States generally get this vaccination for pertussis and it effectively prevents it, but as we get older our immune system forgets about exposure to the vaccine and immunity wanes. And you know what? People coming into the country who are not vaccinated can bring pertussis in. It's a very highly infective bacteria so you don't need much in the way of bacteria to become infected. And when you are infected, if you are older you could end up with not whooping cough but something called the 100 Day Cough. For a few days you just feel real crappy. You feel very poorly, you have a sore throat and you develop a cough. It's awful. It's what we call paroxysmal cough. It's deep, it's rapid, it's unending and it's so bad sometimes that it will make you vomit, throw up. It's terrible. So that's why the recommendation now is that as an adult you should receive a pertussis vaccine with your tetanus and diphtheria vaccine. You only need that once in adulthood but if you don't have that you then are at risk to pick up pertussis should you run into a child or even an adult who might be carrying pertussis. And again, it doesn't take much in the way of contact to develop pertussis. Interviewer: So how is it transmitted? Dr. Miller: It's transmitted through vapor droplets. Somebody coughing, they can pick up the bacteria in that way. And again, it's highly infective. Many times patients don't know they have pertussis when they are adults because they don't have this barking whooping cough that the kids used to get. They just start with a cold, but the severity of the cough is the thing that makes physicians think about it. Now, you can treat the patient once they develop the cough and it can get rid of the pertussis bacteria but it doesn't get rid of the cough, and that cough goes on and on and on, and it's a devil to treat if you can even treat it. Interviewer: So I guess the message here is if you haven't had that pertussis booster, you should get that. Dr. Miller: Get the booster. Absolutely. Interviewer: It is something you see on occasion. Dr. Miller: I do see it on occasion. In Utah, we have an increase in the rate of pertussis in adults because of our immigrant population. They're not always vaccinated when they come into the country. Interviewer: International Airport. Dr. Miller: The simple way to protect yourself is to make sure you get that booster. Announcer: Have a question about a medical procedure? Want to learn more about a health condition? With over 2,000 interviews with our physicians and specialists, there's a pretty good chance you'll find what you want to know. Check it out at the scoperadio.com.
How you can catch pertussis and why adult booster shots are important. |
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Whooping Cough Can KillPertussis is the medical term for whooping cough. It’s contagious and can be deadly, especially in infants. Dr. Cindy Gellner talks about the symptoms of whooping cough and tells parents how to…
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December 08, 2014
Family Health and Wellness
Kids Health Dr. Cindy Gellner: So when is a cough just a cough or when is it something more serious, like whooping cough? I'm Dr. Cindy Gellner and that's today on The Scope. Announcer: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. You're listening to The Scope. Dr. Cindy Gellner: So whooping cough is pertussis. Pertussis is actually a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It's called whooping cough because of the sound that it makes. Not all kids who have whooping cough will make the whoop sound. That is why it's so important kids get vaccinated for whooping cough in the first couple sets of shots. Announcer: We're your daily dose of science, conversation, medicine. This is The Scope, University of Utah Health Sciences Radio. |