Whooping Cough

Paper Summary:

This paper examines pertussis, or whooping cough as it is commonly known, a highly contagious bacterial disease that affects the respiratory system and produces bursts of numerous, rapid, high-pitched coughing in patients of any age. It looks at how, although this whooping sound is not always present, the patient suffers severe coughing attacks, without inhaling, that end in a piercing, crowing sound when inhaling. It also explores how the prevalence of whooping cough and its resurgence in our contemporary world is a cause for concern in the medical profession and how much of the present research has centered on causes for its resurgence.

From the Paper:

"Whooping cough is caused by a bacterial infection Bordetella Pertussis, which only lives in human throats. It invades the nose and throat, the breathing tube (trachea) and the lungs; it starts with symptoms similar to the common cold and progresses to spasms (paroxysms) of coughing after about 12 days. The incubation period is normally 7 days while the infection lasts about 6 weeks. Recovery begins about 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms; paroxysms of coughing may recur over the next few months, which is usually due to irritation caused due to an upper respiratory infection."

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