More and more patients have arrived at the Victor Babeş Infectious Diseases Hospital in Timişoara, Romania, with whooping cough. In the last period, 55 patients have been diagnosed with this disease.
„Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the cough of the dog, is an extremely contagious infectious disease. The condition is mainly caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium.
It can cause severe complications, affecting especially infants and young children, but it can also be dangerous for adults and the elderly, especially those with a weakened immune system or who are unvaccinated," representatives of the Victor Babeş Infectious Diseases Hospital in Timişoara stated in a press release on Thursday.
The disease is transmitted through the air by coughing, sneezing, or nasal secretions. Infected individuals are contagious for up to 4 weeks from the onset of the cough.
"Even though we cannot speak of an epidemic of whooping cough cases, the large number of patients who have arrived at the emergency room is a cause for concern. Especially when we are dealing with a disease that used to bring only a few cases per year.
We are talking about two causes: the cyclical nature of the condition, with the number of cases increasing every 3-5 years, but also the decrease in vaccination coverage. Unfortunately, diseases that had a low number of cases in the past have begun to reappear," stated Dr. Voichiţa Lăzureanu, primary infectious diseases specialist at the Timişoara Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Doctors say that the disease starts with symptoms similar to a common cold, with moderate fever, runny nose, and dry cough day and night.
This is followed by the onset of severe bouts of whooping cough, with intense respiratory noise, and patients feel like they are suffocating. These are often accompanied by vomiting, and in the final stage of the disease, the coughing fits become less frequent but continue to persist.
In total, the cough can last up to 8 weeks. Diagnosis is based on nasopharyngeal exudate, on special culture media, or using the PCR method.
Treatment involves the administration of antibiotics, which also allows for a reduction in the infectious period.
"Most of those who were hospitalized were unvaccinated and were at risk of a severe form of the disease, with the development of complications. These include pneumonia with acute respiratory failure, convulsions, encephalopathies, and infants are the most vulnerable to such complications.
The vaccine against whooping cough is included in the national vaccination program. However, the decrease in immunization rates makes it possible for the number of cases to increase. It must be said that even vaccinated individuals can experience episodes of whooping cough, but the disease in their case has mild manifestations," added Voichiţa Lăzureanu.
The Romanian Institute of Public Health has made a series of recommendations for the population:
- Seek medical attention when symptoms suggestive of: intense and prolonged coughing fits, vomiting after coughing fits, difficulty breathing in infants, noisy inhalation ("whooping cough");
- Timely vaccination of infants and catching up on missed vaccinations;
- Vaccination of pregnant women, to ensure protection for the newborn, as well as for the mother;
- Vaccination of adults, with booster shots every 10 years.