Pertussis

There is a new cough in town disguised as the common cold. Over the last several years we have had many concerned parents in our office questioning if this potentially dangerous germ may be the cause of their child’s cough. Letters have been sent home from local schools warning of the outbreak. What is this bug that has gotten so much attention in Cherokee, Cobb, and Fulton counties? Its name is pertussis, a vaccine preventable disease more commonly known as “whooping cough.”

Pertussis is a bacteria that first presents with symptoms of a common cold – runny nose, sneezing, and low-grade fever. It is not until after about a week or two that the characteristic whooping sound appears. Although it is possible to not have the “whoop” most children infected with pertussis will have a harsh cough with the classic gasping sound following. The Chinese call this illness the “100 Day Cough” for good reasons…it can last up to 3-4 weeks. It is seldom any more than a nuisance in older children; however, older children spread the disease to younger more susceptible infants. This cough can be particularly dangerous to infants. Instead of whooping, infants stop breathing and can die from this apnea.

So how can you know if your child has pertussis? If he has a persistent cough (more than 2 weeks), a cough that is interfering with normal activities or someone living in the same house has been diagnosed with pertussis, he should be seen by his pediatric provider. Vaccinated children may not have the classic symptoms of pertussis and may initially go undiagnosed. It is important to be checked out to rule out the reason for this severe cough. If we suspect your child has pertussis we will send off a nasal swab for testing.

Most of the cough visits we are seeing right now are not from pertussis but are caused by the more common seasonal allergies or a common cold. However, if your child is infected with pertussis we will treat her with antibiotics – commonly Zithromax. This medication is prescribed more to protect your child from spreading the germ and only rarely can shorten the duration of symptoms, especially if given after the first two weeks of the illness. The best way to protect your child from pertussis is to follow the recommended vaccine schedule. Pertussis is included in the DTaP vaccine that is recommended at 2 mo., 4 mo., 6 mo., 15-18 mo., 4yr., and 11yrs. old. Parents should have a booster too, especially is there is an infant in the home, because immunity tends to fade after ten years from the initial series. No vaccine is perfect, so a small percentage of children who received the pertussis vaccine may still get the disease. If there are any questions regarding this persistent illness, please feel free to call our office.