Decreased Pertussis Immunity: Affecting Both Adults and Children

Pertussis, or whooping cough, has long been thought of as a complication that is rare and even eradicated. For many adults, the development of whooping cough often comes years after vaccination while, for young children, the complication may be attributed to lack of immunity in the first year of life.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a respiratory illness that is unique to humans, transmitted by air. With routine vaccination occurring in the first year of life, many children do not obtain full immunity until the second year of life. This is evidenced by more than 50 percent of all whooping cough cases occurring in children under age one.

In a young child with lack of immunity, or in an adult with decreased immunity, the complications of pertussis are relatively the same. Symptoms of pertussis most commonly include persistent coughing, weight loss, development of seizure complications and even results in pneumonia and the need for hospitalization.

Testing for pertussis is relatively simple using a swab of the nasopharynx area but can take several days to confirm the diagnosis. For this reason, if you, or your child, suffer from symptoms of chronic cough, it is important to seek medical attention and testing early.

Because pertussis is a disease that is highly managed by the Centers for Disease Control, if you are confirmed as suffering from the health complication, your physician will be required to report the condition to the CDC. When reported, the CDC may require further evaluation and want to look at your medical history but this will not affect your ability to treat for the condition.

Treating pertussis, or whooping cough, is a significant challenge. Using antihistamines, steroids or immunoglobulins has not shown to be effective. Instead, many physicians opt to prescribe a 14 day course of erythromycin or other similar drugs such as Biaxin or Zithromax.