This is more serious than the common cold.
It’s that time of year when it feels like everyone has got some sort of cough or sniffle. Whether you’re at school, in the office or at home, the sounds of coughing and the blowing of noses are probably soundtracking a lot of your day.
But medics have warned about a highly contagious cough that is seeing a significant increase in infections and is much more serious than your everyday cold.
The sickness is referred to as the ‘100-day cough’ but can also be defined as whooping cough, which you may have already heard of particularly if you’re a parent.
This bacterial infection affects both the lungs and the throat of the patient, meaning that infant vaccination against it is absolutely imperative.
There have been 716 reported cases of the infection reported in the last five months, three times the number during the same period in 2022.
The five main symptoms of whooping cough are:
- Coughing bouts lasting for a few minutes and are worse at night
- Coughs that make a “whoop” sound – a gasp for breath between coughs
- Difficulty breathing after coughs, which could lead to turning blue or grey in young infants
- Bringing up a thick mucus, which can lead to vomiting
- Turning very red on the face.
These signs and symptoms can take seven to 10 days to show and are usually mild at first, meaning they can often be mistaken for a common cold.
These signs and symptoms can take seven to 10 days to show and are usually mild at first, meaning they can often be mistaken for a common cold.
The rise is thought to be down to a drop in vaccination rates.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam from the UK Health Security Agency told The Sun that whilst the seasonal rise in cases was “expected”, it is “vital pregnant women ensure they get vaccinated to protect their baby.”
Professor Helen Bedford, an expert in child public health at University College London, echoed this sentiment, saying: “Whooping Cough in young babies can be very serious and vaccinating their mothers in pregnancy is the only way of ensuring they are protected in the first few months.”
The NHS advises people see their GP if they or their child have the symptoms of whooping cough, or have had a cough for more than three weeks that is getting worse.
If you or your child are having significant breathing difficulties, fits or signs of pneumonia call 999 or go to your nearest A&E.
Children under six months and people with severe symptoms will normally be admitted to hospital for treatment.
For more information about whooping cough, you can visit the NHS website here. For advice on coughs from the HSE in Ireland, just click here.
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