With a significant number of people in the Lethbridge area being affected by Whooping Cough, according to Diane Shaw, director of wellness and community health for Alberta Health Services.

Those that have it or think they have it should see medical treatment to prevent severe illness, and should avoid any unnecessary contact with other people until they are no longer contagious.

“The coughs end in ‘whoop’ when breathing in, and it’s quite stunning how severe [the coughing can be]. Children struggle to breathe,” said Shaw. “A bacterial respiratory illness spread through droplets. Before [the vaccine], it was a major illness in the 1940s, since then there has been a significant reduction in deaths. The vaccine is very effective.

Whooping Cough is a more prolonged cough. You feel sick for a week or so, and severe coughing starts, which if not treated immediately, can last weeks, or even months. The coughing can become so intense that it becomes difficult for a person to breathe, especially children.

“Once you’re on an antibiotic, as soon as you’ve been on it for 48 hours, you’re no longer infectious. However, the cough, even after an antibiotic, can last week, or months,” said Mary Coles, head nurse at the Lethbridge College medical clinic. “So, if you know someone who’s been coughing, and especially little kids, and it’s most likely going to be someone who has never had immunizations for this in the past.”

“If you have little children who are going to day cares, or nurses looking after those types of patients. It’s passed on though the air when someone coughs or sneezes, pretty much like any other type of common cold,” said Coles.

Strep Throat is another illness affecting some people in the Lethbridge area, and its spread the same way Whooping Cough makes people sick.

“The symptoms include white patches on the back of the throat, a sore throat, like you’re swallowing razor blades, and a very rapid, immediate high fever,” says Coles. “[They] won’t treat it until they do a throat swab. That takes about about 24 hours. So if you have that feeling where you can’t hardly swallow, and you’re feeling pretty darn ill, I would suggest getting in here.”

Coles also mentions that if those white patches are found on the throat, they will assume you have Strep Throat, and begin immediate treatment, even without the swabs. Anyone who has Strep Throat needs to wash their dishes in a mild solution of bleach to kill the bacteria and prevent it from spreading.

Eden Williams, a second-year Lethbridge College student, has Strep Throat, at least at the time this story was published.  She was forced to take four days off school, and forced herself to stay in her room as much as she could to avoid infecting others. She is no longer contagious.

“It hurt my throat quite a bit; I was in quite a bit of pain for a few days there. It comes with a fever, and you get achy joints with it, and you’re incapacitated for a little while. I just went to a walk-in clinic, but I didn’t really want to leave my bedroom, because you’re quite contagious, and I didn’t want to infect my roommate,” said Williams.

Prevention is the same for either Strep Throat or Whooping cough. Cover your mouth or face when you cough or sneeze, and don’t share drinks or cigarettes. If you have either illness, do yourself and everyone else a favour and stay home until you’re no longer contagious and feeling better.

Originally posted 2009-03-01 22:27:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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