DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m scared! We just had one confirmed case of whooping cough in our middle school. If the disorder is as contagious as I have been led to believe, has this person possibly contaminated everyone in the classroom, in the school, on the playground, on the school bus and everywhere else? What about us at home and what happens next? How can I protect the rest of my family? What if I wasn’t immunized as an infant? Could I get it, too?
DEAR READER: Pertussis (whooping cough) is caused by a bacterium known as Bordetella pertussis. It is highly contagious and spread by an individual coughing or sneezing infectious droplets through the air. In the past, those most commonly affected are infants and young children; however with a vaccine available to most children before they ever enter school, the higher percentage of cases are now found among adolescents and adults. [Read more...]