NHS HIGHLAND: We are facing a big rise in whooping cough
I have been writing for a while around infections and vaccinations. This has tended to be about diseases like Covid and influenza, but there are many other similar conditions that can seriously affect our health.
One of those is whooping cough which is also known as pertussis. In the past, before vaccination provided effective prevention, whooping cough was much better known. Also, it tends to come in cycles becoming much more common every few years.
At the moment we are facing a big rise in whooping cough, and this may last for the rest of the year. There are many times more infections in Scotland than there were at this time last year. Whooping cough is especially dangerous for babies but tends to spread more among older children.
Whooping cough causes long bouts of coughing. Symptoms to look out for include: cold symptoms, such as runny nose, red and watery eyes, sore throat and slightly raised temperature; intense coughing bouts starting about a week later; coughing up thick mucus, which may be followed by vomiting; gasping for breath between coughs, which may cause a ‘whoop’ sound - although not everyone has this.
Coughing is often worse at night, and it can last a long time; the condition has been called the 100-day cough. Antibiotic treatment will make a difference, but prevention is better than cure.
The good news is that there are effective ways to prevent whooping cough and the spread of vaccination in past years has led to the relative decline of the infection.
Not only are babies offered vaccination at two, three and four months old, then three years later, but vaccination of mothers during pregnancy will also offer protection. The immunity from the mother passes to the baby and offers protection in the early months of life. Unfortunately, immunity from the vaccine does fade after around the age of seven and that is why older children are more likely to develop the disease.
If you think you may have symptoms of whooping cough it is important to seek medical advice through for example your general practice or NHS 24 and more information is available on whooping cough as well as vaccinations on the NHS Inform website.
It is generally good advice to stay at home and away from others if you have a respiratory infection and if you think that you may have whooping cough it is especially important to avoid contact with babies and infants, given their greater vulnerability.
Dr Tim Allison is NHS Highland’s director of public health and policy.
