Whooping cough, also known as pertussis

Whooping Cough, or Pertussis as it is also known, sounds like just another amusingly named, old-time disease. However, while we have certainly learned better methods of preventing and treating Whooping Cough, it still infects up to 40 million people worldwide every year. Of those, up to 400,000 die from the disease or complications. 

That is not an insignificant number, which is why companies like Ascada Research and Ascada Health are still involved in diagnosing, treating, and preventing this disease. Let us look at what causes Whooping Cough, when it was first discovered, how it is treated and prevented, and why it is important to keep up our efforts to prevent and eradicate it. 

Whooping Cough is a bacterial disease that is caused by the Bordetella Pertussis bacterium. While it might start with flu or cold-like symptoms, it is important to remember that it is not a virus like the cold or flu. It also evolves over time to include the characteristic cough that gave the disease its name. Like Covid, Whooping Cough is diagnosed by swabbing the back of the nose or throat. If the Bordetella Pertussis bacteria is present, doctors can confirm that it is a case of Pertussis. However, while a swab is a definitive way to confirm the presence of Bordetella, it is not always required to make a diagnosis. The cough that develops when people have Pertussis is very distinctive and should allow doctors to confirm the disease without a lab test. 

Like any disease, Whooping Cough can be serious for anyone at any age. However, also like most diseases, it is most likely to be most dangerous for the very young, the very old, and people with compromised immune systems. 

Most (but not all) of the diseases we have today have been around for a very long time, but most were not discovered or identified until relatively recently. This is the case with Whooping Cough, which was first discovered and named in 1906 by Jules Bordet and Octave Gengou. 

Like many diseases, Whooping Cough is most transmissible and contagious when one has symptoms; coughing is the most efficient way to transmit the bacteria. However, like many diseases, Whooping Cough is also transmissible before symptoms appear since Whooping Cough has an incubation period from exposure to symptoms of anywhere between about seven days and about 14 days.

This is why Whooping Cough spreads so efficiently in settings like schools, where many children are in confined spaces with poor ventilation. It is the perfect opportunity for the pre-symptomatic spread. Although it can be spread before symptoms appear, Whooping Cough is most contagious in the two weeks immediately after symptoms start. So this is yet another reason why it is so important to stay home and isolate oneself when sick.

Whooping Cough is spread by droplets, like most respiratory diseases. These could be larger, like produced from a cough or a sneeze, but they could also be smaller particles that linger in the air. Bordetella Pertussis, the bacteria behind Whooping Cough, hitch a ride on these droplets, and when they find their way into another nose or throat, they quickly make themselves at home and start multiplying.

While there are risks of severe disease or even death from Whooping Cough, most people with the disease will recover with time and proper treatment. 

Most of the steps one can take to recover from Whooping Cough are similar to colds or flu. Rest, plenty of fluids, and over-the-counter pain relievers when necessary is a good start. 



However, unlike colds and flu, Whooping Cough is caused by bacteria so it can be treated with antibiotics. The most commonly used antibiotics for Whooping Cough are azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin, but there are some newer treatment options as well. Even with antibiotic treatment, the cough associated with Whooping Cough can linger for weeks or even months after infection, although a person will not be contagious for that whole period. 

Through pertussis research, the first vaccine for Whooping Cough was developed in the 1930s and 1940s, resulting in the DTP vaccine, which prevents Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. This vaccine is up to 85% effective in preventing Whooping Cough. Like all vaccines, its overall efficacy is reliant on herd immunity, which is why it is still important to get childhood vaccines and boosters when necessary. 

While Whooping Cough might not be at the top of people's disease worry list right now because it is a bacterial condition, it should definitely be on people’s radar. Over the years, antibiotics have become less effective against all kinds of diseases and infections. This is because the bacteria they are designed to combat have become resistant to them. It has been a while since any new advancements, in terms of antibiotics and significant pertussis research, have been discovered, which means that the options to treat bacterial diseases successfully are more limited than they once were. This is another reason why vaccination for diseases like Whooping Cough is so essential; as well as continuous pertussis research. If we can prevent infection and avoid using antibiotics wherever possible, there will be more time for medical researchers and scientists to find effective anti-bacterial treatments.