Treatments for Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is basically a disease of the respiratory system, caused by a bacterium known as Bordetella pertussis. Highly contagious, whooping cough is a disease in which the patient coughs a lot and the cough always ends up in a loud whooping sound, hence the name. This is a disease that is observed mainly in infants and children of four years and less.

Fortunately, the disease has now become rare, thanks to the widespread awareness and the continuous immunity drives. However, this disease has still not been eradicated. Every year, thousands of cases are reported all over the world and whooping cough still remains one of the biggest causes of infant mortality.
Though the disease is serious and fatal when not treated immediately, the seriousness of the disease becomes less threatening once the child has attained the age of one.

The one symptom that gives away whooping cough instantly is the incessant coughing that begins suddenly and takes time to stop. Initially, it is just a runny nose accompanied by mild fever and cough. However as the disease passes on from the acute stage to the chronic, the symptoms also tend to get intensified. The discharge from the nose starts to thicken and chest congestion becomes extremely distressing.
The gestation period for the bacteria is about two weeks and it generally takes this much time for the disease to turn from acute to chronic. The glottis of the child gets completely narrowed and therefore the whooping sound emanates when the child takes in a breath.

When the child starts to cough, it is due to this inflammated glottis, that there is breathlessness and the child could turn completely blue because of the lack of air. With that, there might also be vomiting and the bulging of the eyes. In another three to four weeks, these symptoms can get further intensified.
Whooping cough can leave the little infant quite exhausted and unfortunately, that’s not the only thing that it does. Whooping cough is commonly associated with pneumonia. A combination of the two is often fatal and is the cause of almost ninety percent of the deaths associated with whooping cough.

All doctors prescribe erythromycin for the treatment of this disease. If the drug is administered at the right time, it prevents the disease from moving to the next stage. For most children nevertheless, hospitalization is almost always required. Suction techniques are used to remove the accumulated phlegm from the infant’s chest and constant intake of fluids is advised to maintain the hydration of the body. The child may refuse food due to the exhaustion, but it is important that the infant is fed properly so that the energy levels are maintained.