Three outbreaks of whooping cough have been reported in Catalonia, affecting 18 people.
The Catalan Ministry of Health reported this Thursday that in January last year three outbreaks of whooping cough were detected in Sardanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), affecting 18 people, all of them in a family environment. In addition, the Generalitat indicated that outbreaks that may relate to these three centers are still being investigated.
Whooping cough is a disease transmitted by the respiratory route through the highly contagious bacterium Bordetella pertussis. During infection, whooping cough bacteria attach to the hairs lining the upper respiratory tract and release toxins that inflame the airways.
It is an infection that most often affects children under one year of age, although its incidence has increased among teenagers and adults. In fact, an increase in the number of cases has been confirmed recently in Spain and around the world following the coronavirus pandemic.
Control measures in the event of a pertussis outbreak are, in general terms, isolation of the patient, chemoprophylaxis with antibiotics, and vaccination of contacts if they do not comply with the vaccination schedule.
This disease, if poorly treated, can become serious and those who are unvaccinated are most at risk. Children and teachers in educational settings with a suspicious clinical picture or confirmed cases of whooping cough should begin treatment with antibiotics and not attend the educational center for five days from the start of antibiotic treatment. Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Health confirmed another whooping cough outbreak at a school in Guadalajara, affecting 124 people, most of them minors.