I thought it was a simple cold, but it spread the disease that causes fatal risks in infants and toddlers
Nov 18, 2024
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Currently, whooping cough has been spreading high this year. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of patients increased from only 31 in 2022 to 292 last year, and this year has surged to 33,332 so far. Although 88% of patients are aged 7 to 19, the number of infant patients before the first birthday is also increasing.
H Plus Yangji Hospital, a base hospital in the southwestern part of Seoul, said, "There have been zero patients with whooping cough in the last two years (2022-2023), but a total of 40 patients with whooping cough (mostly children aged 10 to 12) have occurred from January of this year to the present." he said. "In particular, 27 patients were concentrated from October to November alone, and the trend is increasing to date."
Adult asymptomatic infection is a major cause of child transmission, emphasizing the importance of additional vaccination and early diagnosis. This epidemic situation is analyzed in the aftermath of the lower vaccination rate due to COVID-19.
pertussis is spreading worldwide, with more than 20,000 patients in the United States, 10 infants in the United Kingdom, and more than 130,000 patients in France, killing 35 people.
pertussis is a respiratory infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis, which is common in young children but can infect all age groups.
`One hundred days is characterized by strong cough symptoms, which can cause difficulty breathing or vomiting, infants under the age of one can be very dangerous, and in serious cases can lead to complications or death,' said Yang Mu-yeol, a pediatric and adolescent specialist at H Plus Yangji Hospital.
The main symptoms initially begin with cold-like symptoms, with a runny nose, mild fever, and mild cough, followed by seizure and severe coughs over several weeks, and a 'ub' sound at the end of the cough. Coughs gradually decrease during the recovery period, but it can take weeks to recover. In particular, infants and toddlers need special attention because they can lead to complications such as shortness of breath and apnea.
The whooping cough test includes a nasal smear test that collects secretions from the nose and throat and cultivates bacteria, a PCR test, and a blood test. Of these, PCR tests are mainly used and are known to be the fastest and most accurate method.
Most of whooping cough is sufficient to prevent it with a vaccine, but infants two months before birth who cannot be inoculated are fatal because they can lead to severe infection.
DTaP or Tdap vaccines are effective for vaccination. The preventive effect after these vaccinations reaches 90%. Of course, you can be infected even if you are vaccinated, but if you are vaccinated, the symptoms appear much milder, so vaccination is essential.
Children are inoculated according to a certain cycle, and periodic additional inoculations are also recommended for adults. In the early stages of whooping cough, antibiotic treatment reduces infectiousness and helps relieve symptoms.
The DTaP vaccine for infants and children under 12 months of age is inoculated at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, and additional inoculations are for children 15 to 18 months of age and 4 to 6 years of age. The Tdap vaccine for adolescents and adults is administered once every 11 to 12 years old, and additional vaccinations are recommended every 10 years for adults.
Meanwhile, to protect high-risk groups, parents and medical workers who take care of pregnant women and infants in the third trimester (27-36 weeks) need to be vaccinated so that infants before the first vaccination (27-36 months) can be born with whooping cough immunity.
The diagnosis may be delayed because the initial symptoms are similar to a cold, so if you have a bad cough for more than two weeks or have a special cough sound, you should see a doctor.
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bellho@sportschosun.com
