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Pertussis: Ages
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Pertussis... known as whooping cough, is a potentially deadly bacterial infection that can strike at any age, but is particularly dangerous for babies. The sounds of pertussis are like no other, marked by a “whoop” made when gasping for breath after a severe coughing attack.
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Adolescents who have already gotten a booster dose of Td are encouraged to get a dose of Tdap as well, for protection against pertussis. Waiting at least 5 years between Td and Tdap is encouraged, but not required.
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Studies of B. pertussis and its adhesins have focused on cultured mammalian cells that lack most of the features of ciliated epithelial cells. However, some generalities have been drawn. The two most important colonization factors are the filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and the pertussis toxin (PTx). Filamentous hemagglutinin is a large (220 kDa) protein that forms filamentous structures on the cell surface. FHA binds to galactose residues on a sulfated glycolipid called sulfatide which is very common on the surface of ciliated cells. Mutations in the FHA structural gene reduce the ability of the organism to colonize, and antibodies against FHA provide protection against infection.
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It is not known how many pertussis vaccine deaths occur in the U.S. each year because often the deaths of babies, who receive DPT or DTaP shots and then die shortly after exhibiting classic pertussis vaccine reactions, are misclassified as SIDS. The incidence of SIDS increases after the first month of life, rises to a peak at two and three months, and declines after the age of four months.
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A person with pertussis is usually given an antibiotic. In addition, people at high risk and in close contact with someone who has pertussis, are given an antibiotic to prevent the disease. This includes infants less than one year of age and pregnant women in the last three months of pregnancy, as well as all household and daycare contacts, if there is an infant less than one year of age or a pregnant woman in the last 3 months of pregnancy in the household or daycare.
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The campaign sounds the alarm about the dangers of pertussis and alerts parents to the need for everyone coming into close contact with young babies, especially family members, to be vaccinated against pertussis to prevent transmission of the disease. On the rise, pertussis is a highly contagious and potentially deadly bacterial infection that is particularly dangerous for babies.
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