Whooping cough warning in Catalonia: its symptoms and risks

The symptoms of the disease that warns in Catalonia are similar to those of a cold. choking cough, a contagious acute respiratory infection, starts out like a common cold but can get worse over time. He European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDCabbreviation in English) states that you may experience nasal congestion, fever, cough and apnea in the first phase, and vomiting, difficulty breathing, fatigue after the attack and a high-pitched sound caused by intense and noisy breathing in the second. .

During 2023, more than 25,000 cases of whooping cough V European Union and only between January and March 2024 there are already more of them than 32,000. In 2023 and 2024, children under one year old in 17 countries Europe

were the group with the highest reported incidence, whereas in six European countries it was adolescents from 10 to 19 years old.

In the case of Spain, Report on the epidemiological situation of pertussis Generalitat of Catalonia (period 2014-2024) indicates that the total 11,614 cases of whooping cough in the first four months of 2024, of which 66.8 percent were confirmed microbiologically by PCR or epidemiological linkage.

Whooping cough risk level

According to ECDCthe total risk is considered “increased for unimmunized or partially immunized infants at six months of agebecause this is a group with “higher morbidity and mortality” from whooping cough.

V children under 15 years oldrisk “moderate if they are not immunized or partially immunized” and short if they are vaccinated according to schedule immunization.

In the group of those who are among 16 and 64 years oldrisk moderate repeats but decreases to “short” if they received a booster dose, while adults aged 65 and older and people with medical conditions such as asthma, lung disease or immunosuppression are at moderate risk of developing severe disease.

Whooping cough vaccine

choking cough There is a noticeable increase in cases in Spain, which is why vaccination is so important. Symptoms experienced by infected people who have received a dose of the vaccine are coughing spells (which do not last many days) and intense noisy breathing.

Apnea – pauses in breathing – and cyanosis – blue or purple discoloration – They are not usually common in vaccinated infants and children.According to him ECDCtherefore, they recommend vaccination for people of all ages.

When babies and childrenthey should get five doses DTaP vaccine between the ages of two months and six years, while older children and adolescents should receive one dose of the same vaccine between the ages of 11 and 12 years.

Pregnant women are recommended to get vaccinated at 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, as indicated in the instructions. Ministry of Health. This does not affect the baby’s health.

Adults in general should receive one dose of DTaP if they have never been vaccinated.

Infections and how to treat whooping cough

Bacteria that cause choking cough They can spread through the air very easily, and infected people can be infectious for several weeks.

He ECDC indicates that “taking antibiotics early in illness can shorten the period during which a person is infectious” always with health care. “It is very important to start treatment as early as possible, before coughing attacks begin,” they emphasize.