The pandemic is over, but there seem to be more contagious diseases. Even though I was in good health before, I have had more colds and colds in the past two years, and I have more coughs. The same is "cough cough cough", cough and cough are very different, especially the recent high incidence of whooping cough, which is not an ordinary cough.
Pertussis is an acute respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis, which is mainly transmitted through droplets. The course of the disease is long, and typical cases can be manifested as cough lasting for 2~3 months, so it is called "whooping cough".
01. What are the manifestations of whooping cough?
The incubation period of whooping cough is generally 7~14 days, and the course of the disease is divided into three stages: catarrhal stage, spasmodic cough stage and recovery period.
The catarrhal phase is mainly manifested as upper respiratory tract infection symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, tearing, sore throat, paroxysmal cough, etc., which lasts for 1~2 weeks. This is the period when it is most contagious.
The spasmodic phase is characterized by paroxysmal spasmodic cough with inspiratory roar at the end of the cough, which is relieved only slightly after coughing up mucous sputum. Especially at night, the cough is worse, and crampy cough can also occur during sleep, often accompanied by vomiting, ulcers, puffiness of the eyes and face, conjunctival bleeding, nosebleeds, etc. Babies under 6 months of age can also have dangerous symptoms such as cyanosis, apnea, seizures, bradycardia, or cardiac arrest. These symptoms generally last for 2~6 weeks.
During the recovery period, the cramps gradually subside, the cough becomes less intense, and the number of episodes decreases for weeks or months.
Complications of pertussis are more common in infants under 6 months of age, with pneumonia being the most common, but it can also be complicated by atelectasis, pneumothorax, asphyxia, and encephalopathy.
It is important to note that some patients do not realize that they may have whooping cough because of their mild and atypical symptoms, so they neglect to take precautions and unknowingly become a potential source of infection. Due to the increase in the incidence of pertussis among adolescents and adults in recent years, adolescents and adults have become the main source of infection of pertussis in infants.
02. How to protect?
First of all, if you accidentally come into contact with a person with whooping cough, you should receive drug prophylaxis or emergency vaccination. In particular, if there is an infant or young child at home, do not touch the child until the end of treatment to avoid infection.
Second, during the pertussis epidemic phase, susceptible people need to be boosted for vaccination. At present, the vaccine used in mainland China is diphtheria-pertussis triple vaccine, which is given once at 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, and 18 months of age. However, the protection of the vaccine is not permanent, and usually after 3~5 years, the protective effect begins to weaken. Susceptible people in the event of an epidemic still require booster vaccination.
03. How to treat?
According to the "Pertussis Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol (2023 Edition)", macrolide antibiotics such as azithromycin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, etc., are preferred for the treatment of pertussis. In different stages of the disease, with the corresponding TCM methods, you can go to better curative effects. Early cough stage: Gantang soup is recommended for mild cases, and Ma Xingshi Gantang is recommended for severe cases. Cough cramp period: Ning cough soup is recommended for mild cases, and Qianjin reed stem soup is recommended for severe cases. Downtime: Recommended sand cucumber wheat soup. If it is inconvenient to decoction at home, you can also choose Bairui Granules, a single preparation, which is efficient and safe, and can be taken by children and pregnant women.
At the same time, infected patients need to be isolated according to infectious diseases, pay attention to diet and nutrition, appropriately supplement vitamins and trace elements, and pay attention to the symptomatic treatment of various complications to avoid serious complications that are life-threatening.
Finally, maintaining good hygiene habits and regular work and rest is the most direct and effective measure to prevent various infectious diseases.