The number of children hospitalized due to whooping cough is increasing.

(Baonghean.vn) - At the Tropical Diseases Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, 23 children with whooping cough have been admitted for treatment in just the past month.

Currently, 12 children with whooping cough are being treated at the Tropical Diseases Department. The majority of children treated at the department are under 3 months old (accounting for 50%). This outbreak of whooping cough is scattered across districts such as Dien Chau, Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Nghi Loc, and Vinh City…

A doctor examines a patient with whooping cough. Photo: Thanh Hoa

Ms. Hoang Thi Oanh (Dien Thanh, Dien Chau), whose 3-month-old grandson Tran Ngoc Sang is being treated in the Tropical Diseases Department, said: "Before being admitted to the hospital, my grandson coughed a lot, had poor appetite, and was always fussy, so I took him to the district hospital for examination and treatment. But after 3 days of treatment, I noticed he coughed more and more at night, his face turning blue each time he coughed, and he was eating and sleeping poorly, so the district hospital transferred him to a higher-level hospital. After 3 days of treatment in the Tropical Diseases Department, he is now coughing less and the coughs are short-lived, and he is eating and sleeping relatively well. Because he has a congenital heart defect, he hasn't been vaccinated yet."

Similarly, patient Le Hai Dang (51 days old, Nghi Hai ward - Cua Lo town) was admitted to the hospital on February 27th due to whooping cough. His mother said that two days prior, he had been coughing and wheezing at home, with a runny nose, mainly coughing at night in prolonged bouts. The doctor diagnosed him with whooping cough. After two days of treatment, he improved significantly, the coughing spells were shorter, and he was eating and sleeping better.

It is noteworthy that all the pertussis cases treated at the department were under the age for vaccination, with children under 3 months old accounting for 30%, and even many infants as young as 20 days old contracting pertussis.

Doctor Nguyen Van Son advises a mother whose child has whooping cough. Photo: Thu Hien.

Distinguished Doctor - Specialist II Nguyen Van Son - Head of the Tropical Diseases Department, said: The reason is that the mother was not vaccinated, so she did not have antibodies to pass on to her child, therefore the child is easily infected. Pertussis is an acute respiratory infection, usually occurring in young children. The disease is transmitted through direct contact via the respiratory tract with secretions from the nasal and throat mucosa of infected patients when coughing or sneezing. The disease is highly contagious, especially among people living in the same enclosed space for a long time such as households, schools, etc.

The onset of the disease may be fever-free or mild, with upper respiratory tract inflammation, fatigue, loss of appetite, and coughing. The characteristic whooping cough is characterized by uncontrollable, violent coughing, followed by a wheezing sound like a rooster's crow. At the end of the cough, there is often copious amounts of clear mucus followed by vomiting. The disease often progresses severely and can be fatal due to secondary infections, causing complications such as pneumonia and bronchopneumonia, especially in children under 5 years old and malnourished children.

Thu Hien - Thanh Hoa