Pertussis cases are on the rise in many localities.

In Hanoi, the pertussis situation is also complicated. Specifically, from the beginning of 2024 to the present, there have been nearly 200 cases of pertussis in 29 districts, towns, and cities in Hanoi; while no cases were recorded during the same period in 2023.

According to information from the National Children's Hospital, from the beginning of July 2024 until now, the hospital's Tropical Diseases Center has received nearly 400 children with whooping cough.

The majority of cases are in children under 1 year old who have not been vaccinated or have not received all the necessary doses of the pertussis vaccine. Currently, nearly 40 children with pertussis are being treated at the Center for Tropical Diseases, including one critically ill patient requiring mechanical ventilation.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Le, Deputy Head of the Pediatrics Department at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the Pediatrics Department has been recording scattered cases of whooping cough since the beginning of the year.

Pertussis (whooping cough) typically has a silent onset with symptoms of rhinitis such as nasal congestion, runny nose, mild sore throat, mild dry cough, and a mild or no fever, lasting about 1-2 weeks.

This stage is easily confused with other mild respiratory infections, especially in young children, because the cough is minimal, making it easy to mistake it for bronchiolitis. The child mentioned above is one such case.

After the initial phase, the cough becomes paroxysmal, lasting from 10 to 20 hours or from 30 seconds to 1 minute of continuous coughing without breathing, preventing the child from inhaling oxygen and causing respiratory failure.

A paroxysmal cough ends with a whistling sound during inhalation and may be accompanied by vomiting. Although children are often exhausted after a paroxysmal cough, they appear relatively healthy between episodes.

Dr. Le emphasized that paroxysmal coughing fits typically increase in frequency and severity as the illness progresses, lasting from 2 to 6 weeks.

These coughing fits often occur more frequently at night. The illness may be milder and without the characteristic cough in children, adolescents, and adults who have been previously vaccinated.

Typically, from the initial stage to complete recovery, whooping cough lasts about 3 months. The disease can resolve on its own and is most common in children under 2 months old.

To protect themselves and their families, especially young children, people need to get fully vaccinated and, if they have any suspected symptoms, should go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment. The prognosis for whooping cough is better if detected and treated early.

However, if the disease is detected late, it can cause serious complications. Common complications that severely affect health include: Pneumonia - bronchitis; Respiratory failure;

Oxygen-induced encephalopathy during respiratory failure and other complications such as conjunctival hemorrhage, pneumothorax, strangulation of the hernia, rectal prolapse, otitis media, epilepsy, intellectual disability, paralysis, umbilical and rectal hernias, etc., are all serious consequences of whooping cough. Therefore, early and proper detection and treatment of whooping cough are extremely important.

Regarding whooping cough, information from the Quang Ninh Provincial Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital previously indicated that in the past two months, the hospital had examined and admitted 13 children with whooping cough, exhibiting symptoms such as continuous coughing fits for several weeks, fever, cyanosis, exhaustion, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc.

Most of the children who contracted the disease were unvaccinated or had not received the full course of vaccination. Many children contracted pertussis before the age when vaccination was recommended (according to the vaccination schedule, children receive the first dose of the pertussis vaccine at 2 months of age).

This disease causes dangerous complications and has a high mortality rate in children under 3 months old. Most children who contract it have not been vaccinated or have not received the full course of vaccination; many children contract whooping cough before the age of 2 months.

According to doctors, because children under 3 months old are not yet due for vaccination or have not received all the doses of the pertussis vaccine, they are at high risk of contracting the disease.

On the other hand, the child may not have immunity or may not receive immunity from the mother because the mother was not vaccinated against this disease. Another concern is that whooping cough in children under 1 year old progresses very rapidly to a severe stage. The younger the child, the higher the mortality rate.

According to Dr. Nguyen Tuan Hai of the Safpo/Potec vaccination system, vaccination is the most important measure to protect children's health in preventing whooping cough.

To proactively prevent the disease, parents should ensure their children receive all pertussis vaccinations on schedule: First dose: At 2 months of age. Second dose: One month after the first dose. Third dose: One month after the second dose. Fourth dose: When the child is 18 months old.

Children born to mothers who do not have antibodies against whooping cough are at a higher risk of contracting the disease compared to children who receive antibodies from their mothers.

To proactively protect young children from disease before they reach the age for vaccination, mothers can get the combined tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during pregnancy.

In parallel, it is necessary to implement other measures such as frequently washing hands with soap, covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing; maintaining daily personal hygiene, including nasal and throat hygiene for children; ensuring that homes, nurseries, and classrooms are well-ventilated, clean, and have sufficient light; limiting children's exposure to crowded places and avoiding contact with people with respiratory illnesses, especially those with whooping cough.

Parents need to differentiate between whooping cough and a common cough to take their children to the hospital promptly. If whooping cough is suspected or if any of the following symptoms appear: frequent coughing fits, redness or cyanosis of the face during coughing, prolonged coughing fits; poor appetite, frequent vomiting; sleeplessness; rapid/difficulty breathing, the child should be taken to the hospital for examination, diagnosis, and early treatment.