Whooping Cough!!!!

I got a call from our local Area Health Service today. Apparently two children from our playgroup (brother and sister 3 years old and 4 months old) have been admitted to hospital with whooping cough). The health service are obligated to call all pregnant women and mothers of newborns to advise them of the children's illness. I have been told my whole family and I have to take a course of antibiotics so that I don't get whooping cough which can then cause me to go into early labour and pass it onto my newborn.
Now, the last time the affected children were at playgroup was 9 days ago, and they hadn't actually started coughing yet. What do you think the chances are that my 2.5 year old or I could be carrying whooping cough. Wouldn't we have got symptoms by now?
I just wish that were informed that the mother of these children doesn't immunise as we have two 5 week old babies attending playgroup with their older siblings, now both those families all have to be treated too. Arrgghhhhh!!!!I don;t know the real point of this thread...just a vent really that it's going to cost a fortune for 5 of us to be on AB's. Well, looks like we won't be eating this week!! :(

Got this from the victorian blue book website

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The incubation period is usually between six and 20 days. It is most commonly about 14 days.

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and this

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Control of contacts
Erythromycin should not be given if more than 14 days have elapsed since the first contact with the infectious case (doses and duration as for cases). In special circumstances, such as a high risk exposure for an infant contact, antibiotics may be given within 21 days of first contact with an infectious case. Antibiotics rarely prevent secondary transmission and should be limited to household or child care contacts at high risk of severe complications that have had direct contact with an infectious case:

infants <12 months of age regardless of vaccination status
any child aged between 12 and 24 months who has received less than three doses of pertussis vaccine
any women in the last month of pregnancy
any child or adult who attends or works at a child care facility.

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Thanks muminalice :) There are quite a few littlies under 12 months at playgroup, but they only contacted the mums of the newborns.

I also read on one of the pages they don't have to be coughing to be contagious, I'll see if I can find it again.

ETA: Basically the info said that you can be infectious from the first sneeze (it can start with cold like symptoms), up to 21 days from the first cough or to day 5 of a ten day course of antibiotics.

Yep, I had heard that. Oh man, this really sucks!!!

Bugger! You don't have a HCC?
Hope it works out!

I would be asking the health service if they are willing to provide the antibiotics free of charge. I can't understand why you should be hit with the bill!

This is why I am hesitant to go to play group at the moment while pregnant and when current bubba is born. All of the mums at mine have the attitude "oh it's just a runny nose it's good for everyone's immunity", and I keep saying "but a runny nose is how whooping cough starts!"

Fingers crossed for you that you are ok.

Hubby got whooping cough when I was 16wks preg and we all immediately went on antibiotics as a 'Just in case' measure.
The problem with whooping cough though is that it can come back anywhere from 2-6 months AFTER it finally goes away.
The doctor should do swabs to check for whooping cough and blood tests to check your immunity on you and the kids just in case, especially since it's less than 8 weeks now until you're due and it generally sticks around for 6-8weeks or so when you do have it.
If you are all given the all clear, then everything should be right and bub won't have any problems.
If you or one of the kids do have it though then bub will have to be given a course of antibiotics right after birth - at least that was what I was told by the doctor and what I googled when hubby was diagnosed with it.
FXed everything is all good though!

Sorry, but how do you know they weren't immunised? Did the health service tell you that (which would be a major breech of medical confidentiality) or is it just your assumption?

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Sorry, but how do you know they weren't immunised? Did the health service tell you that (which would be a major breech of medical confidentiality) or is it just your assumption?

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yeah and also (not meaning to be rude because the situation you are in does suck) it shouldn't matter if they weren't immunised it was there choice plus immunised people can still get whooping cough so really the issue that they weren't immunised can't really be brought in.

Go get tested at your local GP, my family were all tested for it last week, thankfully the tests were negative so no need for antibotics.

The test is rather uncomfortable but worth finding out if your carrying it (swab up the nose)

we had a case of it at the day care centre one of the carers had a suspected case and i was freaking out but neither of my kids had any symptoms but i was really annoyed at them coz i'd just taken my 2 week old baby to drop off DS and they didnt get told for 2 weeks after that so even if she got it i wouldnt have even been able to help her she would have been hospitalised

Yes, it could be very uncomfortable if you go back to playgroup and say something based on that assumption and they are actually immunised. The new whooping vaccine is said to be only 30% effective as it misses two of the main strains. 70% of the 30,000 cases of whooping cough that occurred last year were in people who were immunised, of the 30% who weren't, most of them were adults. So it can be a dangerous assumption to think that just because some is vaccinated they can't get it and only people who are unvaccinated do.

If on the other hand, the health service told you that they were unvaccinated, that is an incredible breach of ethics, as they should be medical in confidence. It's one thing to inform you of an outbreak, it's quite another to give specific details of someone's medical past.

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Sorry, but how do you know they weren't immunised? Did the health service tell you that (which would be a major breech of medical confidentiality) or is it just your assumption?

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The mother told us herself when she suspected whooping cough. Don't get me wrong...I am all for personal choice, but I think if there are newborn babies in the group the parents of those newborns have a right to know, as it is such a dangerous thing for a new baby. We are actually a very close group, and nobody is going to treat her any differently because of this, I am just venting here (as I stated in my first post)...I don't wish to start a for and against immunisation argument!!

Anyway, $85 later and we are all on antibiotics!!

my friend got wc while pregnant her symptoms took 2 weeks after contact to show and swabs confirmed she had it. her dh then got it too. im not sure where u are located, im in the newcastle/hunter valley region and we have been told there is a breakout of wc and chicken pox. vax are offered earlier for newborns and offered to anyone in care or contact with babies at the minute.

I really hope you don't have it. Ouch!!! $85 for antibiotics is alot. xxxx

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Ouch!!! $85 for antibiotics is alot. xxxx

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Yep, and that was our grocery money till next Saturday :(

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The mother told us herself when she suspected whooping cough. Don't get me wrong...I am all for personal choice, but I think if there are newborn babies in the group the parents of those newborns have a right to know, as it is such a dangerous thing for a new baby. We are actually a very close group, and nobody is going to treat her any differently because of this, I am just venting here (as I stated in my first post)...I don't wish to start a for and against immunisation argument!!

Anyway, $85 later and we are all on antibiotics!!

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Absolutely people should know about a disease outbreak but this really isn't about a lack of vaccination. The real issue here is the fact she suspected whooping cough and STILL took the kids to playgroup. WTF! That is just insanity to go courting trouble particularly around little babies (you're absolutely right) - horrendous! Like parents sending their kids with whooping cough to school because they didn't want to take time off work. I'm pro-choice when it comes to vaccination but I am also ALL for quarantine.