Last week, a three-week-old baby died in Nice after contracting whooping cough. Since the beginning of the year, health authorities have been warning of an increase in the circulation of this disease in France.
Around twenty clusters have been reported in eight regions of the country. In comparison, during all of last year, only two were recorded, only in Île-de-France.
Strong, sudden and repeated attacks.
Whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. At first, the infection is difficult to identify because it begins with a symptom-free incubation period that usually lasts about ten days.
Then we observe the symptoms of a common cold, sometimes with a slight fever and a moderate cough, which explains why the illness can go unnoticed.
Whooping cough is really identifiable when this cold turns into quite sudden and repeated attacks. They can cause spasms and make breathing difficult. Furthermore, at the end of the attack, when the patient breathes deeply, we hear a high-pitched noise that resembles the crow of a rooster, hence the name “whooping cough.”
Risk of serious forms.
As Medicare notes on its site, symptoms of whooping cough can also include a “swollen, red, or bluish face,” “a burst of the small vessels around the eyes” due to coughing, or even vomiting that occurs afterward. of the flu.
Additionally, in babies “apnea may occur, sometimes accompanied by bradycardia (lower than normal heart rate), or even attacks of cyanosis (bluish discoloration of the skin) during attacks.”
Severe forms can develop in the elderly, pregnant women, asthmatics, immunocompromised people and even cause death in babies due to respiratory or multi-organ failure.
Very contagious disease
If left untreated, this cough will last four to six weeks and then slowly go away. This convalescent phase can last several weeks, making the illness very exhausting. In contrast, according to Medicare, symptoms only last about five days “after initiation of effective antibiotic therapy.”
Pollution occurs through the air through droplets from the nose or mouth, especially when coughing. Whooping cough is also a very contagious disease, as one patient can infect up to 17 people (for comparison, this figure is 2 for the flu and 3 for Covid-19).
Since 2018, vaccination against whooping cough has been mandatory. In fact, the latter protects against serious forms and complications. Babies are usually contaminated by adults or adolescents who are no longer immunized because they are not up to date with their vaccine boosters. It is also possible to get whooping cough several times in your life.
Vaccination boosters
After the first vaccination in infants, a booster dose is necessary at 6 years of age, then between 11 and 13 years of age and finally at 25 years of age, with the possibility of catching up until age 39.
In addition, vaccination against pertussis is also recommended for pregnant women and, in the absence of vaccination of the mother during pregnancy, in the postpartum period.
Health authorities also recommend vaccination for immunocompromised people, health professionals, people who work in close and repeated contact with babies and early childhood professionals or those who regularly care for children.
Source: BFM TV
