Pertussis ( whooping cough) is an infectious disease more common in childrens

1. Pertussis (Whopping Cough)

2. Introduction
• Pertussis is an acute infectious disease, extremely dangerous
especially during infancy, caused . Pertussis is also called as whooping
cough which comes with or without whooping
• . An acute disease of the respiratory tract characterised by paroxysms
of cough ending in a whoop upon inhalation.

3. Causative agent
Bordetella Pertussis
Magnitude of problem
Pertussis is still a clinically serious illness, with high mortality and
complication rates. About 10 percent of all whooping cough cases and
about half of the deaths occur in children under one year.
Source of infection
When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-laden droplets
are sprayed into the air and breathed into the lungs of anyone who
happens to be nearby.

4. Host Factors
• 1_Age: highest incidence below 5 years.
• 2_Sex: Female
• 3_Immunity: Second attacks may occur in persons with declining
immunity, but these are usually mild. Infants are susceptible to
infection from birth because maternal antibody does not appear to
give them protection.
• 4_Environmental factors: Mostly winter and spring months ( Due
overcrowding, socioeconomic condition).

5. Mode of transmission
Mainly by droplets and direct contact.
Incubation period
7-14 days

6. Clinical features
1. The catarrhal Stage:
• Last for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Slight raise of temperature or low fever
• Cough more severe in night and frequently terminates in vomiting
2. The paroxysmal stage:
• This stage last for 3 or more weeks
• Catarrhal symptoms and fever may improve or disappear
• Cough becomes more troublesome
• Patients mouths appears open with tongue protruded
• Chlid become cyanosed and eyes starts watering

7. • Suffocation
• Protruded eyeballs
• Congested face
• Sweating because of a laryngeal spasm
• Pateint may vomit suddenly, pass urine or stool
• Bleed from nose , bite the tounge
• Get attack of convulsions
• Subconjuctival hemorrhage

8. The Convalescent Stage
• The patient tends to improve gradually, with the disappearance of the
symptoms within 1 to 3 weeks course.

9. Complications
• Broncho-pneumonia
• Massive collapse of the lung
• Pneumothorax, surgical emphysema and glottis
• Prolapse rectum
• Convulsions
• Right cardiac failure
• Subconjuctival haemorrhage, haemoptysis
• Detachment of retina
• Inguinal hernia

10. Control Measures
• Cases and contacts-early diagnosis, isolation
• Early diagnosis
• The patient should be isolated
• Infants and young children should be kept away from cases to
prevent the infection.

11. Immunization
• Babies and young children should get five shots of DTaP between the
ages of 2 months and 6 years. Older children and teens should get
one shot of Tdap between the ages of 11 and 12 years.

12. Health Education
• Close contact should be avoided for at least 4 weeks after the onset of the
disease and for 6 weeks if possible
• The nurse should know the causative factors, process of transmission and
control measures.
• Advise the community people whenever there IA a suspected case to initiate
immunization to the contacts.