Britain, which rules the world, is currently troubled by the rapidly spreading pertussis in its country. So far this year, 2,793 cases have been confirmed in England. So far, the deaths of five children have been confirmed due to the disease. The death of a sixth child has also been reported, about which official confirmation has not been made yet. It is said that whooping cough leaves a bad effect on small children. Its symptoms are usually mild in older children and adults.
How dangerous whooping cough is can be gauged from the fact that every year globally, an estimated 2 crore 40 lakh cases of whooping cough are reported, out of which about 1.6 lakh die. Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis often begins like most other respiratory infections, with runny nose and fever as the main symptoms. Whooping cough may occur only a week or two after the cough illness. However, it is not necessary that this happens in all cases.
Experts say that whooping cough spreads very fast. On an average, one case of pertussis can spread the infection to about 15-17 other people. This infection rate is similar to measles and higher than the Covid variant. The effect of whooping cough infection lasts for five weeks.
Early treatment can reduce the spread of whooping cough to a great extent. Antibiotics are able to reduce infection after only five days of starting treatment but there is still a good chance that the outbreak may persist before treatment. Both confirmed and asymptomatic cases may be responsible for the further spread of whooping cough.