Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
5
Click Here Whooping Cough Managing pertussis in a survival situation By Joe Knight Joe Knight is a family practice Physician Assistant and medical writer in Chowchilla, California. This article is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered definitive medical adviceThe editor. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a bacterium named Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis ca uses a sev ere cough with l ittle or no fev er and can b ecome se vere enough to cause the person to gag or vomit. Some of those infected make a "whooping" sound when they breathe in after coughing, thus the name "whooping cough." Pertussis continues to be a significant cause of death and illness among infants who have not been immunized. In a survival situation in which no immunizations are being given, pertussis will become a signifi cant health probl em. Thou gh imm uniz atio n programs have been successful in reducing the incidence of the disease in children and infants, waning immunity in adolescents and adults can allow the transmission of the disease to unimmunized infants. Lately there have been news reports of a rise in pertu ssis cases in the US. Pertussis follows a cy clic pattern, peak ing at two-to-five-year i ntervals. Before the availability of the pertussis va ccine in the 1940s, more than 200,000 cases of pertussis were reported annually. Since the introduction of the vaccine, the incidence of the disease has decreased by more than 80 percent compared to the pre-vaccine age; however, the disease is now being seen more and more in older age groups, particularly in adolescents and adults. Household-contact studies have indicated that infection without illness is common; this suggests that frequent exposure keeps the antibody levels in many persons at protective levels, with illness only occurring when the level of antibody falls below a certain threshold and then exposure occurs. Symptoms of Pertussis Symptoms of pertussis usually appear between six to 21 days after exposure to an infected person. Med ical professionals divide the course of the disease into three stages: Stage One usually starts with symptoms resembling a common cold, such as a runny nose, headache, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. Click Here Pertu ssis ht tp://www.modernsurvival.net/art2pre.cfm 1 of 5 11/7/2010 11:53 AM
Transcript of Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
8/7/2019 Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/whooping-cough-managing-pertussis-in-a-survival-situation 1/5
Click Here
Whooping CoughManaging pertussis in a survival situation
By Joe Knight
Joe Knight is a family practice Physician Assistant and medical writer in Chowchilla, California. This article ispresented for information purposes only and should not be considered definitive medical advice The editor.
P ertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratorydisease caused by a bacterium named Bordetella pertussis .
Pertussis causes a severe cough with little or no fever and can become severeenough to cause the person to gag or vomit.
Some of those infected make a "whooping" sound when they breathe in after coughing, thus the name "whooping cough." Pertussis continues to be asignificant cause of death and illness among infants who have not beenimmunized.
In a survival situation in which no immunizations are being given, pertussis willbecome a significant health problem. Though immunization programs have beensuccessful in reducing the incidence of the disease in children and infants,
waning immunity in adolescents and adults can allow the transmission of thedisease to unimmunized infants. Lately there have been news reports of a rise inpertussis cases in the US.
Pertussis follows a cyclic pattern, peaking at two-to-five-year intervals. Beforethe availability of the pertussis vaccine in the 1940s, more than 200,000 casesof pertussis were reported annually. Since the introduction of the vaccine, theincidence of the disease has decreased by more than 80 percent compared tothe pre-vaccine age; however, the disease is now being seen more and more inolder age groups, particularly in adolescents and adults.
Household-contact studies have indicated that infection without illness iscommon; this suggests that frequent exposure keeps the antibody levels in manypersons at protective levels, with illness only occurring when the level of antibody falls below a certain threshold and then exposure occurs.
Symptoms of Pertussis
Symptoms of pertussis usually appear between six to 21 days after exposure toan infected person.
Medical professionals divide the course of the disease into three stages:
Stage One usually starts with symptoms resembling a common cold, such as arunny nose, headache, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. Click Here
sis http://www.modernsurvival.net/art2pr
11/7/2010 11
8/7/2019 Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/whooping-cough-managing-pertussis-in-a-survival-situation 2/5
The cough gradually becomes more severe, and after one to two weeks, thesecond stage begins
Stage Two, called the paroxysmal stage, is when the diagnosis of pertussis issuspected. The patient has bursts (paroxysms) of numerous, rapid coughing fits.At the end of the paroxysm, a long inhalation is accompanied by a high-pitchedwhoop.
During such an attack, the patient may turn blue. Children (and infants in
particular) appear very ill and in distress. Vomiting and exhaustion from chroniccoughing commonly follow these episodes.
The child usually appears normal between attacks. Paroxysmal attacks usuallyoccur more frequently at night, averaging 15 attacks per 24 hours. During thefirst or second week in this stage, the attacks occur more frequently, remain atthe same level for two to three weeks, then gradually decrease. The paroxysmalstage usually lasts one to six weeks, but may persist for up to 10 weeks. Infantsyounger than six months old may not have enough strength to make a whoopingsound, but they still have the paroxysms of coughing.
In Stage Three, called the convalescent stage, there is a gradual recovery. Thecough becomes less paroxysmal and disappears in two to three weeks;however, paroxysms often recur with subsequent upper respiratory infections(such as the common cold). These paroxysms can occur many months after theonset of the initial pertussis infection
Complications
Young infants are at highest risk for acquiring pertussis-related complications.The most common complication, and the cause of most pertussis-related deaths,is bacterial pneumonia, most likely due to the child just becoming worn out fromcoughing.
Seizures can develop as a result of the low oxygen level to the brain that may
occur during the fits of coughing. Other complications such as ear infections,lack of an appetite and dehydration can occur. During the paroxysmal coughing,pressure effects, such as a collapsed lung, nosebleeds, bleeding into the brainand hernias can develop.
Prevention
First of all, while the health care system is still operational, make sure everyonein your household is immunized against pertussis.
Pertussis, like many other respiratory diseases, is spread through droplet sprayfrom the mouth and nose when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.These droplets then enter the uninfected person's respiratory tract. Theindividual is now infected. So if anyone has to take care of a person who has adiagnosis of pertussis, wear a facemask and always wash your hands after attending to the person.
Our concern in this article is not how to deal with a person with pertussis withthe reasonably reliable heath care system now in place; our concern is what todo when things have fallen apart and we're all essentially just trying to keep our families alive.
Any person with pertussis should stay home and avoid contact with others.Assuming no proper medical care is available, home remedies will need to betried. Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved such
sis http://www.modernsurvival.net/art2pr
11/7/2010 11
8/7/2019 Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/whooping-cough-managing-pertussis-in-a-survival-situation 3/5
"natural" or "homeopathic" remedies, the FDA is going to be irrelevant in asurvival situation and you're trying to avoid contact with undesirables.
Treatment
Garlic is presumed to be an effective treatment for pertussis. Give the patientone teaspoon of pure garlic juice two to three times a day. Another option is asolution of one teaspoon Fenugreek seeds, one cup of water, one teaspoon of fresh ginger and a bit of honey; all of these can be boiled together and then
drunk.
Raw onion has been claimed to help patients with whooping cough. The onionneeds to be diced and the juice extracted. Mix one teaspoon of onion juice withone teaspoon of honey. Give this to the patient twice a day. Another option is totake 100 grams (3 ½ ounces) of raisins and grind them with plain water. Add 100grams of sugar and heat until it becomes a thick liquid. Give 20 grams (about 4teaspoons) once or twice a day.
Avoid foods that can cause the mucous to thicken into phlegm. Such foodsinclude milk or dairy products, rice, sugary products and refined flour products.
A cool-mist vaporizer may help loosen secretions; this will make them easier tocough up, as well as soothing the lungs and airways. Keep your home free fromthings that may trigger a cough. Such things can be dust, cigarette smoke, andsmoke from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.
People with whooping cough, especially infants and children, may not eat or drink much because of the constant coughing. Have them eat small amountsmore often.
Especially important is that the person doesn't become dehydrated. Adown-and-dirty method of determining if the person is drinking enough fluids is tocheck the urine; if i t is clear or very pale yellow, that is good. If it becomes veryyellow, you can assume that the person is not drinking enough fluids. With
babies, note the number of wet diapers; if the number seems to be less thannormal, the baby probably needs more fluids. One caveat: In adults, vitamins andcertain medications can cause the urine to take-on a yellow color, so this needsto be taken into consideration.
Other signs of dehydration are lethargy and dry mouth and tongue. In severecases of dehydration, "skin tenting" will occur. Pinch the skin of the arm betweentwo fingers; in a well-hydrated person, the skin will retract back to its normalposition immediately. If a person is seriously dehydrated, the skin will "tent" or stay in that position far longer than in the well-hydrated person.
Also remember that coffee, tea and many carbonated drinks contain caffeine.Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more often. If one is ill, oneshould avoid these drinks because you want to avoid dehydration notcontribute to it.
Below is a graph showing an increase of diagnosed pertussis cases in theUnited States from 1990 to 2003. In a survival situation, the number of caseswill almost certainly go through the roof. l
sis http://www.modernsurvival.net/art2pr
11/7/2010 11
8/7/2019 Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/whooping-cough-managing-pertussis-in-a-survival-situation 4/5
Number of reported pertussis cases (both confirmed and probable) by year and age group.National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, United States, 1990 - 2003. Graph courtesy of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR Weekly. December 23, 2005.54(50);1283-126. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml
/mm5450a3.htm.
References
1. Forsyth, K., et al., Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2005 May;24(5 Suppl):S69-74.
2. Cherry, J. The Epidemiology of Pertussis: A Comparison of the Epidemiology of the DiseasePertussis With the Epidemiology of Bordetella pertussis Infection. Pediatrics 2005;115;1422-1427.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pertussis. Available online athttp://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/pert.pdf. Accessed September 7, 2010.
4. Med Monatsschr Pharm. 2006 Jun;29(6):206-14. (no author name given)
5. Deen JL, Mink CA, Cherry JD, et al. Household contact study of Bordetella pertussis infections. ClinInfect Dis. 1995;21:1211-121941.
6. Long SS, Welkon CJ, Clark JL. Widespread silent transmission of pertussis in families: antibodycorrelates of infection and symptomatology. J Infect Dis. 1990;161:480-486.
7. MedicineNet.com. Whooping Cough (Pertussis). Available online at http://www.medicinenet.com/pertussis/article.htm. Accessed September 8, 2010.
8. Natural-HomeRemedies.org. Home Remedies for Whooping Cough. Available online athttp://www.natural-homeremedies.org/homeremedies-whooping-cough.htm. Accessed September 6,2010.
9. Home Remedies for Whooping Cough. Ayurvedic.org. Available online athttp://www.ayurvedicc ure.com/home-remedies/homeremedies-whooping-cough.htm. AccessedFebruary 2, 2010.
10. KidHealth from Nemours. Whooping Cough. Available online at http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/whooping_cough.html#. Accessed September 1, 2010.
Contents copyright (c) 2010 Modern Survival Magazine
Table of Contents
sis http://www.modernsurvival.net/art2pr
11/7/2010 11
8/7/2019 Whooping Cough - Managing pertussis in a survival situation
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/whooping-cough-managing-pertussis-in-a-survival-situation 5/5
Click Here to Join Today
sis http://www.modernsurvival.net/art2pr
