Whooping cough is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis, hence it’s medical name pertussis. The typical symptoms of this respiratory infection are inflammation of the mucus membranes with lots of mucus and a distinctive cough which ends in a whooping sound. The disease is more likely to occur in spring and summer.
How do you catch it? The bacteria is spread by airborne droplets as well as by handling objects that have been touched by an infected person.
Is there an incubation period? Yes. Incubation is 7 – 21 days before the onset of any symptoms.
For how long is my child infectious? Between 3 – 4 weeks after the first symptoms appear.
When is my child most contagious? The first two weeks are generally the most contagious….however during this time the disease may appear as a common respiratory illness such as a cold.
How can I tell when my child has whooping cough? There are three stages.
Catarrhal stage; For the first few weeks you may think your child simply has a cold, a mild fever and a loose cough. At this stage of the disease it is quite difficult to diagnose, however a nasopharyngeal swab can be taken by your doctor and tested for antibodies.
What happens now? Over these few weeks the cough increases in severity and frequency as the child tries to cough up the thick and tenacious mucus. Generally worse at night, the coughing paroxysms can end in vomiting or the child can become blue around the mouth or on the fingers.
Paroxysmal stage lasting up to 6 weeks; Now the cough increases in severity and ends in the characteristic whoop or crow. There may be up to 10 coughs in a row before the patient can eventually take a breath. This intake of breath causes the whooping sound. These coughing paroxysms can be very frightening for the patient and the carer as the child struggles to catch his/her breathe between each bout of coughing. Again the child may turn blue from the lack of air in the airways.
Convalescence stage lasting weeks to months in which the bouts of coughing begin to subside in frequency and severity.
How long does whooping cough last? Anything between 3 weeks and 4 months.
What’s the worst thing and are there any or unusual complications? Whooping cough used to be called the 100 day cough. It is a long and tiring illness for parent and child. Whooping cough is much worse for babies under the age of 6 months. It can be very difficult for them to regulate their breathing with the incessant coughing and they are more susceptible to developing secondary pneumonia from the build up of fluid in their lungs. Whooping cough can be fatal in babies.
What are the natural treatment options?
Make sure your child has adequate rest and sleep. This may mean extra daytime naps as nights are usually broken with paroxysms of coughing.
Hydration is extremely important so encourage increased water intake. Herbal teas using peppermint, honey, ginger and lemon help to thin the mucus.
Fresh Mingimingi tonic (talk to your local rongoa maori practioner) will thin and expell mucus.
Small healthy meals. Plenty of soups and broths. If vomiting is a feature of the coughing give a small meal or healthy snack after a bout of coughing.
Increase vitamin C uptake.
Steam can give temporary relief during bouts of coughing. Try siting in the bathroom, your child safe on your knee and the shower running full and hot.
Homeopathic remedies carefully selected on the individual’s symptoms.
Don’t use cough medicines or cough suppressants. The mucus needs to be coughed up and expelled.
Does contracting whooping cough naturally give life-long immunity? Yes it does. The medical vaccination sometimes gives a measure of immunity for a limited amount of time. Hence the increased incidence of adult’s contracting whooping cough, as their vaccine acquired immunity runs out.
Is there such a thing as homeopathic prevention (prophylaxis) of whooping cough? Yes there are remedies that are useful to prevent or lesson the symptoms of whooping cough. Again contracting whooping cough will infer lifelong immunity so this is something to take into consideration. However as previously stated whooping cough can be a serious disease in babies and should be prevented if possible.
Using homeopathic remedies for whooping cough prevention; There are remedies for prevention and then remedies for treatment. In this article I will present the two most common remedies for prevention. The treatment remedies are numerous and the protocol for treating whooping cough with homeopathic remedies is precise and demanding. In other words, if you think your child has contracted whooping cough get them to your homeopath.
PERTUSSIN; After known exposure to the disease 30c is taken daily for 2 weeks. If your child is in the catarrhal stage and you suspect whooping cough the remedy can be given 3 times a day for a few days. This may prevent the development or reduce the severity of symptoms. If symptoms continue see your homeopath.
DROSERA; After known exposure to the disease 30c is taken daily for 2 weeks.
Bibliography;
Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, and your baby’s first year. Mirandra Castro. St Martin’s Press.
Vaccine Free. Kate Birch. Narayana Publishers.
Concordant Materia Medica. Frans Vermeulen. Merlijin Publishers.