Whooping cough is an acute respiratory infection caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis.
This infection is highly contagious (especially in unvaccinated people). It is spread from person to person by droplets of respiratory fluid containing the bacteria, which the person expels when coughing and which move through the air, helping the bacteria to spread. Pertussis is an illness that usually lasts several weeks.
The symptoms occur in 3 different phases: The catarrhal phase, which lasts 1-2 weeks; the paroxysmal phase, which lasts 2-4 weeks; and the convalescent or remission phase, which lasts 1-3 weeks.
The diagnosis is made on the basis of the symptoms and is confirmed by a laboratory test called PCR on an aspirate or smear of nasopharyngeal mucus.
Treatment is with oral antibiotics. Vaccination is the main preventive measure for this disease.
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