Ayunan , Maomina S.

2 BSN – 2K
MWF / 7:40 – 8:40am / D405
January 23, 2009
Bio. 223 (Pharmacology)
Group 01

Dra. Elvira Donado

Teacher:
better known as whooping cough.

It is an acute respiratory infection caused by

Bordetella pertussis bacterium.

It is a highly contagious disease that most

commonly affects young children, however
older teens and adults are susceptible to
pertussis and many do catch it because their
immunity from vaccination as a child has worn
off.

Though pertussis poses serious health risks,

it can be treated if diagnosed in early stages
and closely monitored throughout.
 It has an incubation period ranging from
seven to as many as thirty days.

The disease has three stages of

development. The fist stage, which is known
as the catarrhal stage, develops in the first
one to two weeks and is marked by
symptoms common to other upper
respiratory infections.

Runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever,

and mild cough are all early stage
symptoms. Typically, because the
symptoms mimic the common cold,
diagnosis doesn’t come until the second
stage.
 During the second stage of pertussis,
the lingering cough becomes gradually
worse.

It’s common for sufferers to experience

bursts of coughing spasms triggered by
the body’s failed attempts to dispel the
mucus build up in the respiratory track.

After coughing, inhalation is marked by

a tell-tale whistling or whooping sound.
Breathing can be difficult and even
labored during this stage.
 The final, or convalescent stage,
is the recovery stage and may take
an additional three to ten weeks.

Coughing spasms become less

frequent and breathing becomes
easier, however lingering affects of
pertussis can still cause some
discomfort and fatigue.

It is best if treatment is
administered before this final
Can pertussis be treated?

 Pertussis can be treated with antibiotics, but

treatment may not cure the symptoms. However,
antibiotics will reduce the spread of disease to
others.

 Antibiotics lessen the symptoms if given during

the early stages of illness. When antibiotics are
started later in the illness, the damage from
pertussis is already done and the cough will last until
the lungs heal. Pertussis bacteria die off naturally
after three weeks of coughing. If antibiotics are not
started within that time, they are no longer
recommended.
How can pertussis be prevented?

•Avoid close contact with others who are

coughing or otherwise ill
•Wash their hands often
•Stay at home if ill
•Cover their cough with a tissue or cough into
their sleeve
•Seek medical attention if they develop
pertussis-like symptoms or have been exposed
to someone with pertussis
  Some Video about what is Pertussis.
= Michael Marcus, MD (explaining the whooping
chough )
= Clinical examples of Pertussis.
= pertussis education (explaining how can
Pertussis transferred to another person )

 Some Images about Pertusis.

= Bordetella Pertussis
= A baby with Pertussis
= A child with Pertussis
(explaining the whooping
chough )
 = pertussis
education =
(explaining how
Pertussis
transferred to
another person )
 A child with
a Pertussis

Bordetella
Pertussis

A baby with
Pertussis