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Is it possible to catch bronchitis? How does the disease develop? When should you see a doctor? Is it better to monitor the progress of the disease first? The question is answered by the drug. Anna Mitschke.
How is bronchitis caught?
Hello, my name is Anna and I am a mother of two boys aged 6 and 8. Generally, children are healthy and relatively rarely catch any unexpected diseases and infections, but from time to time they contract some ailments from their peers. In this connection, I would like to ask, is bronchitis contagious? The older son has one sick child among his friends, and I wonder if there is a risk that he has contracted bronchitis?
Two days after the meeting with his friend, my son started coughing a little, but it was not serious and I decided that this was not a reason for panic yet and he certainly did not contract bronchitis. But now I’m not so sure anymore, and I wonder if I should see a doctor or check my son again, because he may not have contracted bronchitis at all. However, there is also the problem of a younger child who is now healthy, but assuming that bronchitis is contagious, may soon become ill like his brother. I am asking for help and information.
The doctor explains how you can get infected with bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is a common disease. It manifests as a cough accompanied by expectoration of mucous or purulent sputum. Often there is fever, malaise, sometimes muscle pain, wheezing. Acute bronchitis is diagnosed in patients with cough lasting less than 3 weeks, after excluding pneumonia. It is most often caused by respiratory viruses such as influenza A and B, parainfluenza, rhinoviruses, RSV, coronaviruses and adenoviruses. The bacteria responsible for bronchitis include Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Bordetella pertussis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae.
All these microorganisms are contagious. Most often, the infection comes from a sick person. Microbes are in the air in tiny droplets of secretion from the respiratory tract, which we breathe in when we are in close proximity to the patient. Contact with infectious material may occur when touching a sick person or in contact with contaminated objects. Then the microbes get from the contaminated hands into the respiratory tract when touching the mouth, nose and eyes. That is why hygiene and frequent washing of hands are so important, especially in the period of high flu.
Contact with sick people should be avoided if possible. When contact occurs, you should keep a possible distance from the patient and remember about hygiene and washing hands. The patient should cover his mouth when coughing. It is very easy for children to become infected. Therefore, a child suffering from acute bronchitis should stay at home and not go to school or kindergarten, so as not to infect his peers. Of course, a sick child can infect his siblings at home and, unfortunately, we are often unable to avoid it. If a child is suspected of having a disease, it is always advisable to consult a pediatrician who considers each case individually.
— Lek. Anna Mitchke
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