Women's & Childrens Hospital Whooping Cough Outbreak

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Dr Brian Wheatley, from the hospital, concedes vaccination is not always effective. "While the vaccine is extremely effective in preventing severe disease, it does not always prevent infection in all people" he said.

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More kids' hospital doctors get whooping cough - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

More kids' hospital doctors get whooping cough
Updated Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:59am AEDT

Two doctors confirmed with whooping cough at Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital. (ABC News)

There have now been three cases in recent weeks.

Nine adults and 41 babies who were patients at the hospital have been offered antibiotics as a preventative measure.

The hospital says the doctors have contracted the infection despite keeping their vaccinations up to date.

One of the doctors diagnosed over the weekend also worked at North Eastern Community Hospital in Adelaide.

Another 46 patients there have been offered antibiotics.

There has also been a recent infant death in Adelaide from whooping cough.

Dr Brian Wheatley, from the hospital, concedes vaccination is not always effective.

"While the vaccine is extremely effective in preventing severe disease, it does not always prevent infection in all people," he said.

So sad, a MW at the hosp DD1 was born at had whooping cough while we were there, it was so scary getting a letter from the hosp saying a MW who possibly had been near our child had had it.

If it brings you any comfort, the pattern of infection that whooping cough usually follows (spreading amongst close family members within the same household) suggests that you need close and sustained contact to contract the disease from another person.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 :cry:

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

i saw my MCHN on the 5th of this mth....wow so long ago....and appearently in my area there is a whopping cough outbreak oh joy!!!

she said i should and my boys get the vaccine.....