Whooping cough, or Pertussis, is a disease affecting the respiratory system. It is characterized by a terrible bout of cough interspaced by a “whoop” sound. It can affect people of any age group. The most famous vaccination for infants is DTaP and TdaP vaccine developed for adolescents and adults are the most effective and common immunization therapies administered to people the word over.

Although the use of vaccinations significantly reduced the occurrence of whooping cough, in last few years it has made a drastic reappearance. It is taking away hundreds of thousands of lives on a yearly basis.

The statistics of the WHO speaks for the severity of the disease. In the year 2008 alone, whooping cough claimed the lives of 195,000 people worldwide. The CDC puts the death toll a much higher rate at 300,000. The CDC also reported the deaths of 17,000 people in 2009 in the US alone, making it a very deadly epidemic. In June 2010, whooping cough was declared an epidemic in California.

There are three main stages involved in whooping stage. Frequent sneezing, occasional cough, nasal congestion and runny nose characterize the first stage called “catarrhal stage”. It can last for 1 to 2 weeks. Timely treatment with antibiotics in this stage can prevent and cure tuberculosis. The second stage called “paroxysmal stage” lasts for 1 to 6, or sometimes even 10 weeks. The characteristic “whoop” sound is evident in this stage. Coughing is rampant at night. The final stage is called “convalescent stage”, where the person suffers from prolonged bouts of cough. This can last for several weeks or months, depending on the severity of the condition.

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