What is whooping cough?
Pertussis is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, which lives in the mouth, nose and throat. Many children infected with whooping cough cough for four to eight weeks. The disease is the most dangerous infant disease, which is easily transmitted from person to person through droplets generated by coughing or sneezing. The initial symptoms usually appear 7-10 days after infection, including mild fever, runny nose and cough, which usually gradually develop into paroxysmal cough, and then form whooping cough (commonly known as whooping cough). In the smallest infants, periodic episodes of apnea may occur. Pneumonia is a relatively common complication; Epilepsy and encephalopathy are rare. Untreated patients who start coughing for three weeks or more may be infectious. Pertussis can be prevented by immunization.
For decades, infant immunization programs around the world have achieved remarkable results in the use of quality documented pertussis vaccines to prevent infants from contracting severe pertussis. The World Health Organization estimates that global pertussis vaccination in 2008 prevented about 687000 deaths. (Source: WHO website)
What is diphtheria?
Diphtheria is an infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Symptoms and signs usually appear 2 to 5 days after exposure, and the severity varies from mild to severe. Symptoms usually appear slowly, and the initial symptoms are sore throat and fever. In serious cases, bacteria will produce a poison (toxin), which forms thick gray or white patches at the back of the throat. This will block the respiratory tract, causing difficulty in breathing or swallowing, and a barking cough. The neck may be swollen due to lymph node enlargement to some extent.
Toxics may also enter the bloodstream, and the complications may include myocarditis and injury, neuroinflammation, kidney problems, and bleeding due to low platelet count. Myocardial damage may lead to arrhythmia, and neuroinflammation may lead to paralysis. (Source: WHO website)
How does diphtheria spread?
Diphtheria is easily transmitted through direct contact or respiratory droplets in the air, such as coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread through contaminated clothing and objects. (Source: WHO website)
How to diagnose diphtheria?
The clinical diagnosis of diphtheria usually depends on the gray exudate (pseudomembrane) covering the pharynx. Although it is recommended to carry out laboratory tests on suspected cases to achieve the purpose of diagnosis, treatment should be started immediately. (Source: WHO website)
How to treat diphtheria?
Diphtheria antitoxin is used to treat diphtheria infection and is administered by intravenous or intramuscular injection. Antibiotic treatment can also be used to eliminate bacteria and avoid toxin production, and prevent transmission to others. (Source: WHO website)
What is tetanus?
Tetanus is an acute infectious disease caused by the spores of Clostridium tetanus. Spores are ubiquitous in the environment, especially in soil, dust, animal and human intestines/feces, as well as epidermis and rusty tools such as nails, needles and wire mesh. Because of its extreme heat resistance and fungicide resistance, spores can survive for many years.
Anyone can be infected with tetanus, but this disease is particularly common and serious in newborns and pregnant women who have not been vaccinated with tetanus toxoid. Tetanus during pregnancy or within 6 weeks after the end of pregnancy is called "maternal tetanus", and tetanus within the first 28 days of life is called "neonatal tetanus". (Source: WHO website)
What are the clinical manifestations of patients with whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus?
Pertussis is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. The source of infection is the patient with pertussis, which is transmitted through droplets. The clinical symptom is paroxysmal spasmodic cough. After coughing, there is a special "cock crowing" like high pitched sound in the breath. The cough symptom lasts for 2-3 months. The disease mostly occurs in children<5 years old, especially in infants<6 months old.
Diphtheria is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by Diphtheria bacilli. Its clinical features are congestion and swelling of the mucosa of the nose, pharynx and throat, and the formation of a gray false membrane, which leads to respiratory disorders and poisoning symptoms caused by exotoxin.
Tetanus is an infectious disease caused by tetanus bacillus. Tetanus is common in soil. When skin trauma occurs, tetanus spores can be brought into the wound, and tetanus bacillus can produce tetanus toxin under anaerobic environment, causing tetanus specific muscle rigidity and paroxysmal spasm. In case of skin trauma, especially in the presence of the above infection factors, you should go to the hospital in time. The doctor will select a reasonable treatment plan according to the trauma situation, and use tetanus toxoid or/and tetanus immunoglobulin for post exposure prevention when necessary. (Source: website of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
How about the incidence of pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus in China?
In China, the annual incidence of pertussis was between 100/100000 and 200/100000 in the 1960s and 1970s. DPT vaccine has been inoculated since the 1960s. In 1978, DPT vaccine was included in the national immunization plan. After the widespread use of DPT vaccine, the incidence of DPT decreased significantly. Since 2008, the reported incidence of whooping cough in China has been controlled below 0.5 per 100000.
In China, tetanus is not a legally reported infectious disease except neonatal tetanus.
Since 2007, there has been no case report of diphtheria in China. (Source: website of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
What should parents do after the vaccine incident?
