Whooping cough can be contracted at any age, and even several times in a lifetime, while almost the entire adult population of Poland has no immunity to this dangerous infectious disease, specialists warn. About 2 cases are reported annually, but a large proportion of infections are not registered. – The only way to protect yourself from this is to have vaccinations repeated every 10 years – says Dr. Ernest Kuchar.
- WHO records 40 million cases of whooping cough worldwide each year, of which approximately 400 people die
- In Poland, the incidence of whooping cough remains at a high level.
- The disease is spread by droplets and is very dangerous
- Young children who have not yet been vaccinated are at risk of developing whooping cough, as well as adolescents, pregnant women and adults.
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
Whooping cough – what is it?
Whooping cough is an acute infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by a bacterium called whooping cough, which manifests itself in the form of chronic and paroxysmal cough. It is spread by droplets and is facilitated by coughing, sneezing and talking. It is extremely contagious and easier to catch than flu, mumps, rubella or chicken pox. One sick person can infect 12 to 17 people. Meanwhile, many people in our country are not immune to it.
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“Almost the entire adult population of Poland has no immunity to whooping cough, and it is a disease of all age groups” – warns Prof. Adam Antczak, head of the General and Oncological Pulmonology Clinic of the Medical University of Lodz. He adds that the course of the disease may be particularly severe in young children (unfortunately, there is also a growing unvaccinated population here) and in people over 65 years of age.
You can get whooping cough at any age. The research published by “Practical Medicine” shows that adolescents and adults are becoming ill more and more often (a similar trend is visible in other European countries and the USA). This is due to the disappearance of immunity to vaccines over time. Because the most effective way to prevent whooping cough is vaccination, also recommended for all adults. It is worth remembering that neither getting sick nor vaccinated gives permanent immunity.
Vaccinations against fodder
– The only way to protect yourself from it is vaccination repeated every 10 years, the easiest way around the anniversary of birth: 30, 40, 50 years – argues Dr. n. med. Ernest Kuchar, chairman of the Polish Society of Wakcynology, specialist in infectious diseases.
Vaccination against whooping cough is recommended in accordance with the Protective Vaccination Program to all adults (from 19 years of age) as a single booster dose every 10 years.
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Experts warn that whooping cough is different in adults than in children, and adults are more likely to complain of a long-lasting cough. These non-specific symptoms make it difficult to properly diagnose the disease. Joanna Baran, who had whooping cough started like a cold, found out about it. – I did not expect that this time the disease will be much more serious and it will take me half a year to live and function normally – she said during a press conference.
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The risk of infection is quite high, because official statistics probably do not reflect the fatal scale of these infections. According to the data provided by the MY Patients Foundation to PAP, there may be an average of 71 unreported cases of whooping cough per one reported case of whooping cough in all age groups, and among the elderly (aged 65-70) even 320 unreported cases. The Foundation cites Polish research from 2009-2011.
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Whooping cough that is not treated or is detected too late can be very troublesome in adults, as the cough can last up to three months and cause complications such as pneumonia, hernia, and urinary incontinence. On average, four out of ten adults over the age of 60 experience complications from whooping cough, and the risk increases with age.
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