Increasing number of children with whooping cough

(Baonghean.vn) - From the beginning of 2014 to February 2015, the Department of Infectious Diseases - Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital received and treated more than 30 children with whooping cough, with 5-6 children treated at the department, most of whom had not been fully vaccinated (aged 2-6 months).

Currently, at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, there are 06 children being treated for whooping cough. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Loan - mother of Tran Khoa Nguyen Khang (3 and a half months old) in Huong Khe district - Ha Tinh province, said: "It has been 2 weeks since my child got sick. When I took him to the medical facility for initial examination, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was treated and given medicine but did not improve. After seeing that he was coughing more, my family took him to the hospital and he has been treated at the Department of Infectious Diseases for 4 days now. When he was admitted to the hospital, he was in critical condition: coughing a lot, his whole body turned purple, he could not eat or drink, had to use a ventilator... After being treated actively, his condition has improved significantly: he coughed less, had less phlegm and has been breastfeeding again." In addition, the department is treating several cases of children suspected of having whooping cough. The hospitalized children all had severe, prolonged coughing spells, followed by coughing up a lot of phlegm... especially the children all had a history of not being vaccinated.

Doctor Nguyen Van Son is examining a child with whooping cough.

Talking with Dr. Nguyen Van Son - Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, he said: "Whooping cough is an acute infectious disease that is very common in infants and young children. This disease is easily spread through the respiratory tract (coughing, sneezing, hugging, kissing, etc.) when children come into contact with infected people. Whooping cough can cause serious illness in infants, children and adults. The disease often begins with cold-like symptoms and may have a little cough or mild fever. After 1-2 weeks, severe coughing begins. Unlike a cold, whooping cough can manifest as a series of continuous coughing spells for many weeks. In infants, a symptom may be "apnea". Apnea is a condition of temporary cessation of breathing in children. Whooping cough is the most dangerous disease for young children. Half of children under 1 year old with whooping cough must be hospitalized.

At the same time, Dr. Nguyen Van Son recommends: In the early stages of the disease, whooping cough symptoms are very similar to those of the common cold, so many families are subjective and buy medicine to treat their children; When taking care of sick children, parents must isolate sick children from healthy people; When children show signs of abnormal coughing, coughing a lot, they need to be taken to a medical facility for examination and timely treatment, do not wait until the child coughs severely, turns purple and is taken to the hospital, when they are in critical condition due to respiratory failure. In particular, children need to be fully vaccinated to avoid complications of the disease.

THUY HIEN