Text/Li Xiaoyu
Recently, the incidence of whooping cough has been on the rise. Among them, the incidence rate among adolescents and adults is significantly higher. This disease, which used to be thought to be only suffered by infants and young children, is now gradually becoming more common among older people.
According to data from the National Administration for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 15,245 cases of pertussis were reported across the country (excluding Hong Kong, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) in January this year, including 5 deaths; in February, 17,105 cases of pertussis were reported, including 8 deaths.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by Bordetella pertussis and is a legally reportable Class B infectious disease. The disease has a long course, and a typical case may manifest as a cough that lasts for 2-3 months, so it is called "whooping cough".
The early symptoms of whooping cough are very similar to those of a common cold. In the first 1-2 weeks, there may be only a runny nose, cough and other symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. However, during this period, it is extremely contagious and can easily be ignored.
Then the spastic cough period enters in the 2nd to 6th week. This is when the symptoms of the disease are most typical, often with severe and continuous spasmodic cough at night, and the typical "cock-crow-like echo" at the end of the cough may appear.
In the end, the recovery period of the disease still takes 2-3 weeks, and the entire course of the disease is very "grinding".
Infant cases and those with a history of vaccination or whooping cough often have atypical symptoms after infection. Among them, infant cases often do not have typical spasmodic cough after infection, and are prone to cyanosis, shortness of breath, apnea and even suffocation. If the above related symptoms occur, seek medical attention in time. Check to avoid delaying treatment.
Who is more likely to get whooping cough?
Whooping cough is mainly spread through droplets. Infected persons are the main source of infection. For infants and young children, parents or other people living with whooping cough are the main source of infection.
Pertussis can occur in people of all ages, and infants and young children with no history of immunity are at a higher risk. The younger the child, the higher the risk of complications and severe illness, which may even lead to death. In countries where the vaccine is widely available, more and more cases of pertussis are being detected in older children and adults.
Why is whooping cough so common?
In recent years, whooping cough has reappeared in developed countries such as Europe and the United States. For example, in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2014, there were multiple large-scale whooping cough epidemics in the United States. During the 2012 whooping cough epidemic in Washington State, the incidence rate was as high as 37.5/100,000, which was higher than the previous year. 13 times higher. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other countries have also reported a surge in the number of whooping cough cases.
The number of pertussis cases in China is also on the rise after remaining at a low level for decades. Official data shows that in 2017, the number of reported whooping cough cases across the country began to exceed 10,000, and has increased every year thereafter, exceeding 20,000 in 2018 and over 30,000 in 2019. It declined after the COVID-19 epidemic, with a total of 15,798 cases reported from 2020 to 2022.
Regarding the rising incidence of whooping cough, Dou Zhifang, deputy director and chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Aviation General Hospital, believes that there are two main reasons.
First, the vaccine immunity is not durable enough. The body can acquire immunity to whooping cough through natural infection or vaccination, but immunity acquired through both methods does not last a lifetime.
Second, diagnostic standards have been continuously improved and monitoring systems have become more complete in recent years. Compared with the previous bacterial culture and PT antibody testing, the current diagnosis of whooping cough also includes nucleic acid testing. The number of hospitals or institutions with conditions for diagnosis has increased significantly, which may lead to an increase in the number of cases to a certain extent.
How to prevent whooping cough?
Vaccination with pertussis-containing vaccine is the most economical and effective way to prevent whooping cough, and can effectively reduce the risk of infection and severe cases. According to the national immunization program, children should receive one dose of pertussis-containing vaccine at 3, 4, 5 months and 18 months of age. Children of school age should be fully vaccinated with pertussis-containing vaccines in a timely manner, and unvaccinated children should be revaccinated as soon as possible.
Wearing a mask is an important measure to prevent respiratory infectious diseases and can effectively reduce the spread of pathogens. Parents who have respiratory infection symptoms such as coughing should wear masks scientifically when caring for infants and young children in close contact to reduce the risk of infection to infants and young children.
Comprehensive China News Network, CCTV.com, CCTV News, National Emergency Broadcasting, Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention