Women's & Childrens Hospital Whooping Cough Outbreak

[Mum2SweetCs]

I was just about to post a thread on whooping cough.

How do we know we have it? I did some googling and was sure I have it but I could be paranoid.

Went to the docs and he said I got a viral infection only. My cough sounds very coarse like a whoop noise and now dd has it.

Ive had this cough for 3 weeks now.

[Schmickers]

Pertussis begins with general cough and cold symptoms, and then progresses to a dry cough, sometimes associated with stringy, tenacious sputum, that can last for up to three months.

To test for it they can take a throat swab, or in children, suction some of the secretions from the back of the nose and throat.

[Lisa]

The whoop sound happens at the end of the cough, when you're trying to breathe back in... there is a real noticeable whoop sound. That is what I was told by the Dr who first diagnosed me with having it and it was confirmed by the swab.

[Ryatha]

we've had a number of teachers have it at a school. They have had a cough/cold for about a month and then diagnosed. The cough persisted for ages for them. They said it was so much worse than a normal cold, really exhausting.

[Mum2SweetCs]

My whoop is at the beginning when im preparing for the cough? And the cough sounds a bit like a dog barking?

Dont know if I should get a second opinion or not.

I did already take antibiotics but I seriously do not want to infect anyone

[*Beema*]

I delivered at NECH 2 1/2 weeks ago..... we seem to have been lucky to escape it, espeically as I saw two OB's and DD2 two Paed's. And since I left it has been running at capacity, there were only 7 of us there when I was first admitted.

SA experienced it's first Whooping Cough death in 9 years only recently as well

[*Infinity*]

I was thinking of you Beema when I read this thread earlier.