Whooping cough symptoms and treatment in infants

Whooping cough is a relatively common infant disease, mainly caused by bacterial infection. At this time, children often have some respiratory manifestations, which can cause pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. When children have severe coughs and whooping cough, they must be treated well in time. In addition, children must get enough rest. Through good treatment, the symptoms can gradually improve.

Symptoms of whooping cough in babies

The initial symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a cold or flu, with sneezing, a runny nose, and a mild cough that may last for two weeks before developing a severe, spasmodic cough. Your baby may also have diarrhea or a fever after getting whooping cough.

Babies with whooping cough usually cough continuously for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by very difficult breathing, and then another round of spasmodic coughing. Your baby's periodic coughing episodes may be more frequent at night. When your baby coughs, his lips and nails may turn blue due to lack of oxygen. He may have thick phlegm and may vomit.

Whooping cough can be very dangerous for infants under one year old, who are particularly susceptible to complications such as pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and even death. If you find that your baby has symptoms of whooping cough, be sure to take him to the hospital immediately.

You need to monitor your baby closely if he or she has whooping cough because whooping cough may stop your baby's breathing. If he has difficulty breathing, call 120 emergency number immediately or take your baby to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment. You should also take your baby to the emergency room if he or she continues to vomit, has a seizure, or shows signs of dehydration.

Treatment of whooping cough in infants

The doctor will first listen to your baby's cough and may then take a swab of your baby's nasal mucus to test for whooping cough bacteria. But because the test results are not available immediately, the doctor suspects whooping cough and will treat the baby right away with antibiotics to control the infection.

If your baby is given antibiotics in the very early stages of whooping cough, the medicine can help relieve whooping cough symptoms. If antibiotics are started too late, although the whooping cough bacteria can be removed from the baby's secretions so that the baby will not infect others, it may not shorten the duration of whooping cough. In addition, the cough caused by whooping cough usually lasts 6 to 10 weeks, so there is nothing you can do except wait.

Do not give your baby cough medicine without your doctor's approval. Coughing is your baby's natural response to clearing mucus from his lungs, and if you suppress this response, you may hinder your baby's ability to recover.

If your baby's cough gets worse after taking antibiotics, you should take your baby to the hospital immediately. In very severe cases of whooping cough, the baby must be hospitalized, given oxygen, and given fluids to avoid dehydration.

You might think that if your baby has whooping cough once, he or she will not get it again, but unfortunately this is not the case. Some people may get whooping cough again after having it. However, subsequent whooping cough is generally much milder than the first time. Therefore, since babies are prone to whooping cough, and the DTP vaccine can also protect against diphtheria and tetanus, you must make sure your baby gets all his shots. If you're worried that you're missing something, don't forget to talk to your doctor about what to do.