Write the causative organism, mode of infection, symptoms and preventive measures of the disease pertussis.

Explanation

Whooping Cough (Pertussis). It is a highly infectious disease of young children ing inflammation of the respiratory passages with severe attacks of cough. It is caused by Bordetella pertussis which comes out while coughing from the discharges of the nose and throat of the patient. It spreads by direct inhalation of droplets from the patient or the carrier, or by the articles freshly soiled by the discharges. Incubation period is 10-16 days. The disease starts with slight fever and catarrh just like cold. Then, the cough becomes troublesome, especially at night. Face becomes red during coughing. These repeated bouts of violent cough end in a whoop. Whooping sound is produced due to rushing in of air during deep inspiration at the end of a bout of cough. The child usually vomits and there is frothy discharge from his mouth and nose. Sometimes, the child may develop complications like excessive vomiting, convulsions and pneumonia. The disease can be prevented by immunising all infants with whooping cough vaccine which is available singly or in combination as triple vaccine (i.e., DPT). Three doses of this vaccine should be taken at intervals of one month starting from the age of 3 to 4 months. Once a child develops the disease, this vaccine does not help. Other children coming in contact must be revaccinated once to ensure protection.