Whooping cough

Whooping cough or pertussis is endemic disease caused by bacterium Bordetella pertussis and also caused in small percentage by Bordetella parapertussis bacterium. In the world annualy is reported about 60 million cases with more than half a million deaths. Unlike other respiratory diseases, which are mainly related to the colder time of year, whooping cough is most common in spring and summer months.

Before the era of vaccination, most ill children are from first to fifth year of life and those of school age, and today nearly 50 percent of patients are younger than one year. With this disease in this age group this is very dangeourus and difficult disease.

The source of infection is a sick man, often an adolescent or adult who suffers from unrecognized pertussis. The disease spread by droplets. After entering into the respiratory system as a new host, the bacteria quickly captures the mucosa and begin to produce toxins and other biologically active substances.

One of the most important consequences of infection in the respiratory system damage and dysfunction respiratory epithelium with subsequent formation of dense and ductile secretion and disturbed the normal process of cleaning the respiratory secretion and expulsion. The disease is highly contagious at the beginning, even when there is no typical fit of coughing. Vaccination or disease suffered people have no lasting immunity, so they can again get whooping cough.