Pertussis is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease caused by Bacillus pertussis. Its typical clinical symptoms are paroxysmal spasmodic cough with a deep, long, chicken-like inspiratory echo at the end of the cough. In recent years, the incidence of pertussis in children has been increasing year by year, and young infants are prone to death from asphyxia, pneumonia or encephalopathy.
The three clinical phases of typical pertussis include the khat phase, the spasmodic cough phase, and the recovery phase. The khat phase lasts 1 to 2 weeks and has relatively mild clinical symptoms, which may be characterized by runny nose, sneezing, lacrimation, conjunctival congestion, slightly sore throat, and mild cough, similar to cold symptoms without specificity. The spasmodic cough period usually lasts 2 to 6 weeks, or up to 2 months or more. The cough worsens with a distinct paroxysmal, spasmodic cough, characterized by a series of spasmodic coughs followed by a deep, long inspiration, which is followed by a special, high-pitched, chicken-like inspiratory echo as a large volume of air passes sharply through the spasmodically narrowed vocal cords. The child’s face is often red and blue, and coughing followed by vomiting or choking after eating milk is common. Young infants are prone to complications such as pneumonia, apnea, and whooping cough encephalopathy. The recovery period usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks. The frequency and severity of the cough gradually decrease and the vomiting after coughing gradually subsides. During this period, the condition can recur with recurrent spasmodic coughing, and the condition can be prolonged for several months. In older children, the clinical presentation can be mild or atypical, especially in those who have been immunized with pertussis vaccine, and can be characterized by an asymptomatic, shortened cough or even asymptomatic carriage in some children and adults with strong immunity.
Pertussis is preventable. Infants are vaccinated against pertussis in a timely manner, and infirm infants who have not received vaccination can be prevented by injecting antitoxin-containing immunoglobulin after exposure to a pertussis patient. It is important to pay attention to nutrition and proper exercise to strengthen immunity. Avoid contact with patients during pertussis epidemics.