There is cough, and then there is whooping cough. The difference is in the spasms, repeated bouts of coughing, and the longer duration of whooping cough, which is also called pertussis. Thankfully, people with whooping cough no longer have to bear the discomfort for long. Simply taking a whooping cough vaccine can end it all. But there remains a challenge.
Whooping cough vaccines do not offer lifelong protection. They become less effective with continuous use and do not prevent affected people from spreading the disease. As a result, scientists have devised potentially more effective vaccines that solve these problems.
They’ve also begun using new and more fascinating testing methods for the whooping cough vaccine. These techniques involve deliberately infecting people with whooping cough. The researchers have called for volunteers aged 18 to 50 to participate in the trial. Upon completion, they will receive payment.
The volunteers will have to make several visits to designated hospitals and spend 16 nights at a hotel. The study is known as the “human challenge trial.” It will involve a controlled infection of the volunteers with the whooping cough-causing bacterium. Volunteers will also take the new whooping cough vaccine.
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What Is Whooping Cough?
Whooping cough is a respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. It spreads easily from person to person through coughing and sneezing.
Whooping cough can last weeks or even months and can also cause life-threatening illnesses, especially when it infects babies. Fortunately, we can prevent it through a whooping cough vaccine.
Since the 1980s, the number of cases of whooping cough in the United States has been increasing. For example, since 2012, when there were 48,277 reported cases, the number has been increasing every year until the coronavirus pandemic.
What Home Remedy Is Good for Whooping Cough at Night?
Whooping cough at night could be hell. That is the inability to get good sleep and the heavy discomfort that comes with the condition. When they affect babies, the situation becomes pretty drastic. In the absence of counter medication, some of these home remedies can come to your quick rescue.
Garlic
A teaspoon of fresh garlic juice once daily for at least a week will get you bouncing back from whooping cough. Ginger has properties that can fight bacterial infections. Another way to use garlic is to boil some of it in water, place and cover your head over the vapors while you inhale them.
Ginger
Ginger will get to work right away on that whooping cough. Simply extract one tablespoon of ginger juice and mix it with raw honey. You should immediately begin to feel relief. Take this mix twice daily for a few days, and you should be fine.
Turmeric
Get half a tablespoon of fresh turmeric powder and add a tablespoon of raw honey to it. Take the mixture twice daily, and the whooping cough should be gone in a few days.
Saltwater
Saltwater can kill bacteria. To do so, dilute a small teaspoon of salt in warm water, just about half a glass. Then, gargle the solution in your mouth every three hours.
What Are 5 Symptoms of Whooping Cough?
According to CDC data from 2001, about 1600 Americans suffer from whooping cough every year. An infected person will have a number of symptoms. Here are five of the most common ones.
Early signs of whooping cough only appear after about 7 to 10 days of infection. These symptoms are initially mild. One could mistake them for those of the common cold. They are;
- Fever
- Runny Nose
- Red and watery eyes
After these first symptoms manifest, other symptoms appear on the scene. These symptoms are worse than the first ones and are clearer indicators of whooping cough rather than a common cold. These are;
- Hard and severe coughing, which is accompanied by a high-sounding “whoop” sound
- Hard coughs that cause tiredness and cause one to vomit
Interestingly, infected infants may not suffer from coughing at all. But they may struggle to breathe. There have been cases where they experienced temporary cessation of breathing.
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What Are the 3 Stages of Whooping Cough?
There are three stages of whooping cough, from the point of infection to the time the symptoms begin to subside. These are the catarrhal, paroxysmal, and the convalescent stages.
Catarrhal
This is the first stage of whooping cough. In this stage, the infected person experiences mild coughing, which comes in pretty long intervals. They also experience low-grade fever. Infants experience temporary cessation of their breaths.
Paroxysmal
This is the stage where the infected person experiences the “whoop” coughing. After the fits of coughing, there is also fatigue and vomiting.
Convalescent
This is the last stage of whooping cough. It is the gradual recovery stage, which usually occurs after about 2 to 3 weeks of infection.
How Long Do Whooping Cough Vaccine Side Effects Last in Adults?
Several side effects can occur after an infected person uses a whooping cough vaccine. But these reactions happen for only a few people. The side effects include fatigue, low fever, nausea or vomiting, body aches, and headaches. Thankfully, these side effects won’t last more than a few days.
These vaccines are of two types. There are the DTaP vaccines, which protect children who are below seven years old. Then there is the Tdap whooping cough vaccine for people who are seven years and above.
The Tdap vaccines are great for pregnancy health too. Pregnant women in the third trimester should take it to prevent their babies from getting whooping cough in their early years.
Adults between 19 and 64 should also take the Tdap because they could have bronchitis or sinus infections. Without taking the vaccines, there is a good chance that they could spread these to children.
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