Signs of whooping cough in a child
This infectious viral disease is more commondiagnosed in children under 5 years of age. The younger the child, the more severe the disease. There are fatal outcomes among infants, so parents should definitely know the initial symptoms of whooping cough in children.
Whooping cough in a child resembles an acute respiratory infection Photo: Getty The onset of the disease is similar to a common acute respiratory infection:
- a sore throat;
- coryza;
- dry cough;
- increase in body temperature to 38 ° C.
Whooping cough is easy to diagnose.It begins with a strong cough. There are up to 30 attacks per day. Sometimes they are so strong and long that the child starts vomiting. During an attack, the baby may choke and turn blue. Babies have a very hard time with the disease. The spasmodic cough lasts at least three weeks, and then the condition improves. The incubation period of the disease lasts from 7 to 14 days. During this time, whooping cough is especially contagious. After two weeks, the child continues to be ill, but is no longer a carrier of the virus. Consider an important feature of the disease: if the temperature rises above 38 ° C, then it is no longer whooping cough.
What to do if a child has whooping cough
Children are treated at home.Infants with severe whooping cough are hospitalized. Antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and expectorants are prescribed. To relieve spasmodic cough, it is important to follow these measures:
- air the room where the sick child is;
- moisten air in the room, do wet cleaning;
- if the body temperature returned to normal, walk with the child in the open air, but not more than 20 minutes. in a day;
- reduce the impact of external stimuli that provoke cough, namely light and noise;
- feed the baby often, but give small portions.
During the first two weeks of illness, the child shouldbe isolated from other children. Vaccination provides 100% protection against whooping cough. The whooping cough bacillus is transmitted by airborne droplets. If an unvaccinated child comes into contact with a sick person, he will definitely get sick. Immunity after vaccination or whooping cough is formed only for 5 years. After 12 years, you can get sick again. Vaccination is the only protection against infection. If infected, the disease lasts up to three months. Complications in the form of otitis, pneumonia and bronchitis are possible. See also:
